Alison Hammond discusses ‘weird’ audition that led to Great British Bake Off role

Before landing her role on the Great British Bake Off, Alison Hammond was told to speak to random strangers as a test of her people skills and interactions.

In an effort to prove her social skills, the This Morning host, 48, from Birmingham, found herself wandering around a garden centre interviewing random people.

“It was a weird audition," she told The Sun. "They made me interview random strangers, to obviously see if I’m good with different people."

Albeit strange, Alison was familiar with this audition task. Back in 2020, she also visited a garden centre in preparation for her slot on This Morning.

Alison embraced this experience and earned herself the role as Matt Lucas’ replacement on the Great British Bake Off.

For three weeks, Alison was unable to tell anyone she received the role, but she did spill the beans to her 18-year-old son Aiden, who thankfully kept her secret.

"Can you believe I couldn’t tell anybody? You know what my mouth is like," she said.

Alison will now co-host the Great British Bake Off with Noel Fielding, 47, and says she has received congratulations from judges Paul Hollywood, 57, and Prue Leith, 83.

According to BT, the show is expected to air around Tuesday 12 September, although this is yet to be confirmed.