Initially, quietly-spoken Aidan Hammond seems the opposite of his mum Alison, whose full-throttle energy and infectious laughter has helped propel her to TV stardom. But it soon becomes clear, as OK! catches up with the pair, and they are completely unaware of one another’s shorthand. The telly star opens up about her friendship with Aidan, 20, this week as they prepare to take on their first show together, BBC’s Florida Unpacked, which includes everything from salsa in Miami to paragliding in the Florida Keys.
Alison’s youthful looks would have you fooled that she’s a decade younger, but she turns 50 this week – on 5 February, the same day Aidan turns 20. And she doesn’t seem fazed about the milestone. “It just feels like another year”, she tells us breezily. There’s no big celeb party planned, either, as she tells OK!. “I had the big bash when I turned 48 – and Aidan turned 18 – and it was wonderful. But it took a lot of preparation. I’m not in the mood this year! I simply want to relax.
“What’s incredible is how quickly the time goes. I’d urge people to enjoy their lives, spend time with loved ones and be present. Nowadays, I only want to do what makes me happy”. Equally, when Alison speaks about her son, she can’t believe how time has flown. A young DJ who can now watch her from Above the knees has replaced the little man who used to stomp on This Morning for sporadic fashion shows. But the pride in her voice is palpable.
“I’ve been with this person all his life”, she tells us, with that distinctive Brummie lilt. “It’s just lovely that he’s turned out to be a well-rounded, kind, young man. I’m so proud”. For Aidan, it’s his mum’s attitude to life that’s struck a chord most. He explains, “‘ Be happy, ‘ she says. ‘ If you’re not, what’s the point? ‘ I was in a very good job, but wasn’t happy. I told Mum what I really wanted was to DJ and she said, ‘ Do that, then. ‘”
And Alison, who is enthralled, admits that Aidan has taught her to slow down. “You don’t have to go 100 miles an hour. You can take things slower, which is what my son does. He’s patient, slow to anger. I learned that purely from Aidan because I don’t let people put me in a state of anger or sadness.
Has Alison given Aidan any advice on how to navigate the showbiz landscape now that he’s making waves in the music industry? At this point, she must be excellent. “Just be authentically true to yourself”, she says. If you’re not, “people will see through you.” And if you don’t know something – be honest! More than you’ll fake it, people will respect that. Of Aidan’s DJ career, she says, “I feel like a groupie. I’m such an embarrassing fan. I’d go to every gig he does, personally, but I have to play it cool and let him do his thing”.
Asked if their special bond is, in part, due to Alison raising Aidan alone, she points out that, for a long time, it was three of them, before her beloved mother Maria died in 2020, of lung and liver cancer. It was Maria – a “hard-working, no-nonsense travel agent” – who took Alison to Florida as a child, that proved the inspiration behind her and Aidan’s first TV show together. “The three of us always had that.” We’ve been through the heartache of losing mum together, and that was tough. Aidan has witnessed all kinds of ups and downs. We’ll always have that bond”.
As Alison admits, it was great to get to know her son and mix work and play in the sunshine state while the mother-son duo shot their new travelogue about doing Florida on a budget last summer. Aidan admits he found it “harder than he anticipated,” but he would do it again in a heartbeat because this is his first appearance on a small screen. His mum, on the other hand, says he was such a natural that she’s “scared for her own job”.
“The producers were like, ‘ Alison, he’s good! ‘ I was like, ‘ Alright, babs, calm down… ‘” The protective mum gene came out, too. “You go into mother mode no matter what, don’t you? When it comes to Aidan, I’m very guarded. I’m a little lioness. If he wants to do more telly… it’s whatever makes him happy. I know he wants to be a DJ – but if he wanted to be a cleaner, I’d support him 100%. Happiness is the key in everything”.
Aidan’s favourite part of their road trip, he says, was the Everglades. It was so peaceful to spend an airboat on these flat lands, where you can see for miles and watch alligators swarm up at night. I didn’t even think I was going to like it, but I loved it”. “Aidan’s a techy boy – he likes his phone and his games”, Alison adds. “With that taken away, it was just us, in the middle of nature. It was actually a really special, bonding time”.
The only moments of tension, both agree, were in the car. Aidan is not yet permitted to drive in the US, so Allison did the majority of the driving. “Aidan is a driver, and so thinks he knows best when it comes to driving and tries to take over”, says Alison. “The truth is he needs to listen to mum sometimes”!
Was this on the road, too, two of these two who are known for it? “Oh, yes, Aidan’s the one person who makes me full-on belly laugh”, says Alison. “He can have me doubled over, crippled. If I’m in a bad mood, he’s the only person who can take me out of it instantly”. “Laughter’s been a part of our whole life”, Aidan adds. “We just take the mick out of each other constantly. We always try to make the other one laugh, especially if we’re in a group. It’s just our thing”.
On a serious note, Alison believes laughter serves a higher purpose. Without it, a day is wasted. Laughter is a beautiful medicine. I get letters from people all the time, saying, ‘ You took me out of a really dark place. ‘ If something I’ve said or done has taken a person out of darkness, that’s so important to me”.
On This Morning, Alison and Dermot O’Leary are a ray of sunshine, but it’s on Friday. So, why does she love it so much? “My co-hosts, people like Dermot and Josie]Gibson], keep it real – I connect with real people”, she says. “I love them all. Because no two days are the same, I keep returning for them. I don’t think I’d ever want to leave”.
The highlights are many, such as having her baby scan 20 years ago live on-air. I was pregnant, checked on This Morning, and discovered that Aidan was a boy. Although her interactions with Hollywood A-listers are now legendary, she still feels “very nervous” when speaking to a big name. “They’re all humans, though, they all make mistakes – that’s what you need to remember”, she adds. As for who she has in her sights, she’d “love a one-on-one with Oprah Winfrey. Or Michelle Obama”.
Right now, what Alison, who’s dating David Putman – 22 years her junior – wants more than anything is to put her feet up. “R-E-S-T. I want to rest more, and have more holidays this year. I’ve achieved everything I wanted to, really – maybe hosting Comic Relief one day would be good… But honestly? I’m happy with where I am in life”.
Florida Unpacked continues Mondays, at 6.30pm on BBC Two
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Source: Mirror
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