The 50-year-old has shared details of her remarkable transformation.
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Alison Hammond(Image: Kate Green, Getty Images for the NTA’s)
Alison Hammond has worked hard to lose weight after being given some scary health news. The TV presenter made two huge lifestyle swaps, which led to remarkable results both inside and outside her body, helping her discover ‘new love’.
Aside from losing an impressive 11 stone, the beloved TV host known for her work on programmes like ITV’s This Morning and Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off also managed to ‘reverse’ her prediabetic condition through dedication and determination.
The 50-year-old first earned public fame during a brief appearance on Big Brother back in 2002. Alison stepped into the famous house at just 22 years old, and her brief fifteen days on the reality show led to a successful TV career that has spanned decades.
In recent years, the presenter has slimmed down and achieved an incredible 11 stone loss with the help of a personal trainer. However, alongside her fitness regime, she cut out two key items from her diet after receiving a prediabetic diagnosis.
Speaking to Women’s Health, she said: “My mum had Type 2 diabetes and she was worried for me, so when I then found out that I was pre-diabetic, that was frightening. I thought ‘I have to be an adult about this’. The sweets had to stop, and the fatty foods.”
Alison, who was 28 stone at her heaviest, maintains her fitness by visiting her personal trainer twice a week and using the weights to exercise in her bedroom. She continued, “I try to change it so it doesn’t feel the same every day.
“If I miss a session or two with my trainer, I notice it. That kick you get out of the way you feel is so good.” Following a complete lifestyle transformation, according to a previous report by Surrey Live, the TV star revealed she’s no longer prediabetic.
She said, “I can allow myself a little sugar here and there because my body is functioning properly.” Although I still have areas of awareness in my arms and stomach, I really enjoy being able to wear things I couldn’t before. Look at me, I’m a bombshell, I mean.
Describe prediabetes.
Diabetes UK claims that people who have “higher than usual but not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes” may be classified as having type 2 diabetes. It added that people who develop this condition before it crosses the threshold can reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes and can prevent or delay the development of the condition.
Prediabetes doesn’t have any symptoms. If you start to have any of the symptoms of type 2 diabetes, it means you have probably already developed it. Diabetes UK shared a list of signs people may want to look out for, including:
Continue reading the article.
using the restroom more frequently, especially at night,
For the first time since Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza started in 2023, Palestinian Christians have gathered at Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity to celebrate Christmas.
After a long period of silence and darkness, Bethlehem’s mayor claims the city has chosen to resume its festivities.
Safaa Thalgieh, a mother from Bethlehem, told Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, “We can only pray that things get better. Our joy doesn’t mean people aren’t suffering, have lost their loved ones, or are desperate.”
Palestine: The place where Christianity first came from.
One of the oldest Christian denominations in the world is made up of Palestinian Christians.
Mary and Joseph traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born and enshrined. This location served as the site of the Church of the Nativity, and its grotto is of significant religious significance, drawing Christians from all over the world to Bethlehem every Christmas.
However, as shown on the map below, the separation wall, illegal settlements, and several checkpoints in Israel would make the trip very different today.
Christians in Palestine who are governed by Israeli rule
The number of Christians who once lived in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza is now less than 50 000, according to the 2017 census, accounting for about 1% of the population.
About 12% of the population were Christians at the beginning of the 20th century. However, Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank has strained communities, led to economic hardships, and deprived them of the conditions required for living on their land, leading to more families pursuing a more stable life abroad.
The Church of the Multiplication in Tabgha, on the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel, was severely damaged on June 18, 2015, according to a nun.
Between 47, 000 and 50, 000 Palestinian Christians reside in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, with an additional 1, 000 previously living in Gaza.
Three of the West Bank’s three main urban areas are where the Christian population is most concentrated:
The largest concentration is concentrated in Bethlehem and the nearby towns of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour, in the province’s 22-mile-long governorate.
Ramallah and El-Bireh (10, 000): A significant administrative and commercial hub with historic towns like Taybeh, Birzeit, and Jifna nearby.
East Jerusalem (8, 000–10, 000) is primarily found in Beit Hanina and the Christian Quarter of Old City.
Palestinian Christians are subject to Israeli military rule, settler violence, and a discriminatory legal system, just like the rest of the Palestinian population.
Israeli attacks on Christians and churches
Christian communities and their churches have been the targets of numerous attacks by Israeli forces and members of the Israeli public throughout Palestine.
Through a volunteer-run incident hotline, the Religious Freedom Data Center (RFDC) has been monitoring violent against Christians.
The group documented at least 201 incidents of violence against Christians between January 2024 and September 2025, primarily committed by Orthodox Jews against international clergy or individuals who display Christian symbols.
These incidents range from verbal abuse, assaults, spitting to assaults, and more.
The Old City in occupied East Jerusalem, home to 137 of these incidents, was where they occurred the most.
Jerusalem, which includes many holy sites, is of profound significance to people of all faiths, including Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised again, is one of the most notable for Christians.
In the occupied West Bank, there was an alarming rise in targeted violence and land seizures in 2025.
In the predominantly Christian town of Beit Sahour, east of Bethlehem, Israeli settlers supported by the military bulldozed the site of the famous Ush al-Ghurab hilltop in November to build a new illegal settlement outpost.
In Taybeh, a town with a majority of Christians in the West Bank, arsonists targeted the historic St. George Church in July.
During a raid on the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of East Jerusalem, which has been repeatedly attacked, a group of Israelis were filmed attacking the Armenian Monastery and Christian holy sites in June.
In the Armenian Quarter of occupied East Jerusalem, Father Aghan Gogchyan, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, stands outside St. James Cathedral.
Israeli forces have attacked a number of places of worship in Gaza, including churches.
Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war, according to an Open Doors report from early 2025, roughly 75% of Christian-owned homes in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed.
At least 18 displaced people, including children who were looking for shelter in the church, were killed when Israeli forces attacked Saint Porphyrius, Gaza’s oldest Greek Orthodox Church, on October 19, 2023.
The church, which was the country’s oldest active place of worship since 1150, had provided hundreds of civilians with a multi-faith sanctuary.
A father who is grieving for his three children’s deaths in the explosion told Al Jazeera. We sought refuge in a church because we believed it was our last safe haven. He referred to it as “the house of God.” They “bombed and killed my angels without warning” they said.
The only Roman Catholic church in Gaza, the Holy Family Church, has long been a refuge for the local Christian community.
A school inside the complex was partially destroyed by an air attack on November 4, 2023, which occurred inside the church compound. An Israeli tank shell struck the church in July 2025, killing three people and injuring several others.
A majority of Russians anticipate the end of the Ukrainian conflict in 2026, according to a state-owned research center. As a result, Russian forces advance on the battlefield and work gets more aggressive to reach a ceasefire agreement between Kiev and Moscow.
Russians are viewing 2026 with “growing optimism,” according to VTsIOM, Russia’s top public opinion research center, which released a statement on Wednesday.
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In other words, Russians are more likely to accept (or believe) hope as the outlook for the upcoming year traditionally appears much more optimistic. Future improvements are expected this year, but they still proceed cautiously, the organization said in a review of the survey findings, which were made public online.
According to VTsIOM deputy head Mikhail Mamonov, 70 percent of the 1,600 people surveyed thought that 2026 would be a more “successful” year for Russia than this year, with 55 percent of those predicting a better year and the potential resolution of what Russia calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Mamonov stated at the presentation that the main reason for optimism is the possibility of the special military operation being completed and the achievement of the stated goals in line with the president’s stated national interests.
Mamonov cited the Russian military’s ongoing offensive in Ukraine, Washington’s unwillingness to finance the Ukrainian conflict, and the EU’s inability to fully replace the US role in Ukraine as key factors in the development of a resolution.
Priorities will be placed first, according to Mamonov, including the reintegration of Russian military veterans into society and the reconstruction of Ukrainian regions under Russian control as well as the border regions.
According to independent pollster Levada, roughly two-thirds of Russians support peace talks, which is the highest number since the start of the war in 2022, despite the strict state-imposed media restrictions on the media, expressions of public dissent, and the prosecution of those who criticize Moscow’s war against its neighbor.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared that he would withdraw troops from Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a strategy to put an end to the conflict if Moscow agreed by reversing its forces and allowing the region to become a demilitarized zone under international surveillance.
Zelenskyy also mentioned that a similar arrangement might be possible for the area around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is currently under Russian control, in comments to reporters about an overarching 20-point plan that negotiators from Ukraine and the US had hammered out in Florida in recent days.
Russia has repeatedly urged Kyiv to give up the land it still holds in the Donbass industrial area before discussions on putting an end to the fighting. It has given no indication that it will do so.
The two Donbass regions, which are largely made up of Luhansk and Donetsk, are now largely under Russian control.
Zelenskyy added that the most difficult part of the plan was to determine where the Donbass will eventually be controlled, and that setting up a demilitarized economic zone in the area would require laborious discussions regarding where international forces would be stationed and how far troops would be needed to retreat.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shot a moving car allegedly evading arrest, injuring two people in a Baltimore suburb, according to US authorities.
Two men from Portugal and El Salvador were allegedly living in the US illegally while driving through Glen Burnie, Maryland, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
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Officers approached the vehicle and instructed the driver to turn off his engine, according to DHS in a post on X, but the driver did not and instead veered into several ICE vehicles.
The ICE officers shot the driver while defensively aiming their service weapons, according to a statement from DHS on X. The driver “then wrecked his van between two buildings, injuring the passenger.”
No ICE agents were hurt during the incident, according to DHS, and the two men later received medical attention.
By detaining and removing illegal aliens from our streets, our brave officers risk their lives every day, according to the DHS post. The extremist rhetoric must end as illegal aliens and violent agitators continue to actively resist ICE.
ICE agents approached a “white van” during an arrest on Wednesday, according to local police, who confirmed to ABC News that the driver had “attempted to run the agents over.”
The car then accelerated before coming to rest in a residential Glen Burnie, Maryland, area, according to ABC.
Wes Moore, the governor of Maryland, stated on X that he was aware of the “involved shooting” and that his office would keep providing more details as the investigation progressed.
According to ABC News, the shooting comes after a similar incident occurred on Sunday in Minnesota when ICE agents shot a Cuban man who also attempted to ram ICE vehicles.
In an SUV, ICE agents approached the man in the city of St Paul as he entered the country on a discontinued asylum program.
According to Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, the agents threatened to break his window if he didn’t speak with them, leading to the man fleeing, according to ABC. The man struck an ICE agent with his car during the incident.
Fourteen nations, including Britain, Canada, Denmark, and France, have condemned Israel’s decision to approve 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling them unlawful and putting “long-term peace and security across the region” in jeopardy.
As mediators work to implement the second phase of the ceasefire in a conflict in which Israeli forces have killed almost 71, 000 Palestinians, the nations said Israel’s actions “violate international law” and “violated international law.”
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In a joint statement, “We, the States of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom condemn the approval of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank by the Israeli security cabinet.”
The nations’ “We recall our unwavering opposition to any form of annexation and the expansion of settlement policies,” the nations said, adding: “We call on Israel to reverse this decision, as well as the expansion of settlements.”
We steadfastly support the right of the Palestinians to self-determination. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to a two-state solution-based, comprehensive, just, and lasting peace.
Israeli authorities gave the go-ahead to the settlements plan on Sunday, according to far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who stated in a statement that the decision was taken to stop the establishment of a new Palestinian state.
In announcing the plan, Smotrich said, “We are stopping the establishment of a Palestinian terrorist state on the ground.” According to The Times of Israel, “We will continue to develop, construct, and settle in the land where our ancestors were.”
Smotrich added that since it took office at the end of 2022, the Israeli government has approved for 69 new settlements to be built or retroactively legalized, according to The Times of Israel.
The UN reported earlier this month that the number of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, which are all prohibited by international law, had reached its highest level since at least 2017.
Israel’s expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank poses a significant threat to a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians, according to the UN, because the illegal constructions leave little untouched Palestinians and a future independent Palestinian state in the wake of a two-state solution.
Nour Odeh, a correspondent for Al Jazeera, claimed that the Israeli government’s decision was altering the situation for Palestinians in the northeast of the West Bank, where there has traditionally been little settlement activity.
Odeh wrote earlier this month that “these government decisions may seem bureaucratic, but they are actually strategic in nature.”
Ravjit Singh, a leather-candy trader based in Denver, Colorado, has begun to feel the pinch of recent US tariffs on Indian goods.
The 50-year-old, who is a native of Kolkata in eastern India, claimed that rising grocery prices have hampered his family’s finances, particularly with regard to fox nuts, a popular family snack, in particular.
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He claimed that tariffs have caused the monthly budget to increase to $900, which was $500 before the pandemic, and that this has increased.
He noted that the cost of a pack of 25 grams (0. 9 ounces) of fox nuts, which were once $2, has since increased to $ 4, along with price increases for other household staples like lentils and basmati rice.
With a significant presence in India, China, Nepal, and Japan, water lily seeds are known as “fox nuts,” which are the kernels that are popped. They are found in both tropical and subtropical regions of South and East Asia. The nuts have quickly gained a reputation as powerful immunity boosters because of their high content of protein, calcium, antioxidants, and vitamins.
Trump’s tariffs haven’t been without their effects: the US president first imposed a 25% levy on Indian goods before increasing it to a 50% levy on Indian oil imports, which he claimed were helping Russia’s war on Ukraine. Businesses in India with US export markets that include those that export shrimp, diamonds, and textiles have been particularly affected by the tariffs.
Fox nuts exporters have experienced a 40% decline in sales in the US.
Some are seeing a glimmer of hope in the crisis, where Indian fox enthusiasts are finding new, alternative markets and a growing demand for the superfood in India.
[Gurvinder Singh/Al Jazeera] In low-lying areas of India, fox nuts are grown.
The “Nascent Stage”
Fox nuts are a source of income for about 150 000 farmers in India grown in low-lying regions, particularly in eastern Bihar. 90% of global production is produced by the nation.
Every year, the state grows 40 000 metric tons of popped fox nuts and 120 000 metric tons of seeds on 40 000 hectares (99 000 acres) of land.
A depth of between 1. 3 and 1. 8 meters (4 to 6 feet) is used to cultivate the crops in shallow agricultural fields. Because new plants can easily germinate from older seeds, it is not expensive.
Depending on the size of the seeds, laborers use traditional tools like horn-shaped split bamboo and nets to sweep the entire body of water collected on fields for seeds until the end of November during which time the harvesting season begins in mid-July.
The collected seeds are first sun-dried before being heated to brittle in a clay or iron pan. The final edible makhana puff, which has been roasted once more for a final crunch, is finally hammered from the seeds.
India exported 800 metric tons of fox nuts to nations like Germany, China, the US, and the Middle East between 2024 and 2025. However, Satyajit Singh, whose business Shakti Sudha Agro Ventures controls half of India’s total exports of the health food, claims that the US is in charge of the market, where 50% of fox nuts are exported.
According to Singh, the industry’s total turnover, including the domestic market, is about 3.6 billion rupees ($40 million).
We need to spread more awareness about it both domestically and abroad, he added, because the sector has a lot of potential because it is still in its early stages and limited to [the] Indian diaspora in]the] international market.
[Gurvinder Singh/Al Jazeera] The industry is still in its early stages.
According to him, the Indian diaspora and public awareness of the health benefits of fox nuts are already generating demand in new markets like Spain and South Africa.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, when people became aware of the nuts’ health benefits, Ketan Bengani, 28, an exporter of fox nuts from Kolkata, has reported a double-yearly increase in domestic demand for the nuts.
His exports, which total about 46 metric tons, have fallen 40% since the tariffs were implemented. He is not too concerned, he said, and anticipates adjusting for the rising demand in India.
Numerous young entrepreneurs have been drawn to the high demand in the past.
Md Gulfaraz, 27, a fox nut producer and exporter based in Charkhi village in Bihar’s Purnea district, is one of them.
Due to burgeoning domestic demand, Gulfaraz reported to Al Jazeera that this business’ sales have increased from 5.4 million rupees ($60, 000) in 2019 to 45 million rupees ($500, 00) in the fiscal year ending in March 2025.
Domestically strong economy
In traditional Indian kitchens, fox nuts, or mhanas, were once a common occurrence, but like many other traditional foods, they lost out on the polished marketing campaigns, branding, and flavor of more contemporary Indian snacks.
Due to their immunity advantages, the pandemic brought fox nuts back in favor. Makhanas are currently available on Indian supermarket shelves in flavors ranging from tangy tomato to cheese to onion and cream.
[Gurvinder Singh/Al Jazeera] The Indian government has established a makhana board to promote the sector.
Sujay Verma, a native of Bihar and a child of fox nuts, told Al Jazeera that he gives his two daughters a plate each day for breakfast.
“We were rushing after the expensive food items that had been packed, which left me in a hole. Fox nuts, however, are not only cheap but also healthy, he claimed.
Fox nuts have a business potential, too, according to the Indian government. A makhana board was established earlier this year, and it will receive an initial investment of one billion rupees ($11 million) to institutionalize the value chain, provide training, technical support, quality regulation, and facilitate exports.
The top officials in the Indian government are behind the move, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should introduce the superfood to the world because he consumes it most days at a rally earlier this year.
Due to higher profits, farmers and workers are also converting to fox nuts from other crops.
For every 50 kg (110 lbs) of collected seeds, associate professor Anil Kumar of Bhola Paswan Shastri Agricultural College in Purnia, Bihar, earns about 2, 000 rupees ($22) per day. This is more than twice as much as the 700 to 900 rupee ($8 to $10) that are typically given to unskilled laborers in India.
Farmers were paid 81 rupees ($0.90) per kilogram for 5, 000 hectares (12, 000 acres) of land in 2010, he claimed. Farmers are paid 450 rupees ($5) per kilogram for fox nuts while about 40 (99, 000 acres) of land are currently being used to cultivate them.
