Bake Off's Alison Hammond's love life and brutal 7-word reason she broke off two engagements

Bake Off host Alison Hammond has had a rocky love life, calling off two engagements, but the star has finally met the man of her dreams after refusing to marry

Bake Off host Alison Hammond has captured ther hearts of the nation, but her journey to finding love has been rocky.

The TV star, known for her humour, quick wit and infectious laugh has won audiences over with her charm, but it's not to say she's suffered heartbreak over the years when it comes to romantic connections.

The Bake Off and This Morning host has called off two engagements in her life, one with the father of her son, and another to her landscaper boyfriend Ben Hawkins, but says she enjoys her own company and has "never felt lonely".

Her turbulent love life hasn't stopped the 49-year-old Brummie from looking for love as she's been seen dating 27-year-old Russian model and masseur David Putman who massages her feet every day.

Alison made it clear after two failed engagements she was comfortable on her own, but after revealing her relationship with David, the former Big Brother contestant appears smitten. It's been suggested she's "never been happier" despite her relationship being plagued by split rumours which she quickly shut down. The Mirror takes a look at her previous relationships and her reasons to refusing to marry...

Called off engagement

As Alison's loyal social media followers and This Morning fans will know, Alison is very devoted to her 18-year-old son Aiden who lives with her in London. Alison shares her teen with cab driver Noureddine Boufaied.

The pair got engaged when Alison was 30 but they never actually tied the knot. While the relationship didn't last, the pair remain fond of each other with Alison describing her former love as a "lovely guy with a beautiful smile".

Speaking to Gyles Brandreth on his podcast Rosebud, she said: "A lot of people think I've been married… I've never been married. If you look online, it's like, 'Alison was married to Aiden's dad', but I wasn't. We never actually got married. It was the perfect time but I don't feel like we were ready. He had the most beautiful smile and that's what I fell in love with… Aiden's got that smile as well."

Elaborating on her reason for never walking down the aisle, Alison brutally revealed she didn't want to feel 'tied down'. "I think as soon as I hear the word marriage I get like cold feet," she admitted. "I think I'm just one of those people. [...] I just feel like I'm tied down and I don't like it, when really and truly, I'm getting to that age now where I just think 'Alison, let go - it's okay to settle down'."

The mum-of-one added: "I always just get a bit nervous to like be ... know that is it." Boufaied and Alison welcomed their first son together on her 30th birthday. Recalling her labour, Alison said: "He was there. He was loving it. He hadn't bought me a present, so I was a bit miffed because I was like, 'I can't believe it's my birthday and you haven't even bought me flowers or a card."

Past romances

Last year, it was revealed Alison had found love with a 'hunky' gardener after years of living the single life. The mum-of-one was said to have settled down with green-fingered Ben Hawkins after employing him to tend to her West Midlands garden. It's thought the pair had managed to keep the romance secret for over a year before the news finally emerged.

Alison was seen with a beaming broad smile as she was papped leaving Ben's house first thing in the morning. She later gushed on her ITV daytime show that she had found 'someone special' in her life.

It was rumoured that Alison and Ben had also got engaged, with Dermot O'Leary even pausing This Morning to congratulate his co-star. Cutting the party in the studio, Alison cried: "I told you, if I was ever to get engaged or get married I would be the first person to tell you! I'd put all over Instagram and TikTok!"

However, the romance hit the rocks behind the scenes and she even hinted that the relationship was over for good as she told Holly Willoughby she was wearing a 'single ring' to let potential suitors know her status without having to ask. Alison said: "More people are wanting to meet people out and about and having a green ring might be a good idea so that people know you're single. As you can see, I've got my single ring on." Holly told her: "Hopefully you won't need it for a lifetime."

In March 2024, Alison hinted at her doomed love life, with a cryptic social media post. She took to her Instagram Stories to repost a funny meme about falling in love with the wrong person, showing a racoon and dog cuddled up and looking loved-up as they posed for a picture. "Me in love with the wrong person again," the original poster captioned the shot.

Alison didn't add any comment as she shared the post with her 1.5million followers. Despite being single for large portions of her adult life, Alison insists she's not missing out. "I absolutely love my own company. I have no problem with being on my own. In fact, I really quite like it. I think that's why I struggle in relationships, because I don't want somebody around me all the time. I absolutely love being on my own. I'm OK with it. I've never felt lonely," she told the Mirror.

Before gardener Ben, Alison endured a doomed stint on romance reality show Celebs Go Dating. She briefly dated audio technician Ben Fusi but the romance didn't last. Unfortunately for Alison neither did her memory of Ben's name as she confessed her mind was blank when asked to recall their love on This Morning. "Oh no, he's going to be watching! What's his name?" she repeated, before adding: "I'm so sorry."

Celebrity crush

While a whole host of famous men have fallen for Alison's charms, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has held a place for the Brummie native close to his heart. The wrestler-turned-mega-movie star even refers to Alison as his 'ex-wife' following their excessive flirting over the years.

The Hollywood actor 'proposed' to Alison during an interview in 2017 with the pair staging a mock wedding on the ITV show months later. He even took the time out to congratulate Alison on her National Television Award nomination last year.

"Alison, I want to tell you – we've known each other for a long time but I'm so happy for you. You're doing so great, you've been nominated for all these National TV Awards, you've been incredible, so congratulations!" he gushed as he blew her a kiss. "We've got to get married again!" he added.

Current partner

Alison shared she has been dating 27-year-old Russian model David Putman, and source said: "Alison has never been happier. She has had a turbulent love-life, but is finally confident she has found a trusted companion. They looked just like honeymooners."

She had alluded to a romance for a while, as she previously told MailOnline that she hadn't ruled out getting engaged again, Alison said: "There is someone special, and if he wants to pop the question, he can pop away." But it was This Morning co-host Dermot O'Leary who broke the news.

In May 2023, Dermot turned to Alison and said that she was "no longer available." Playing coy, Alison asked: "What do you mean I'm not available… you trying to say that I'm not available?" Dermot then noticed her coy tone and quickly said: "I don't know, now I'm really confused!"

However, Alison interjected and said: "Am I not unavailable? Is there someone in my life? Well, you've just told the whole world, thanks!"

Alison and David began dating a year before they went public. Due to anticipation of inevitable public scrutiny, Alison was initially hesitant about going public with their budding romance. However, now Alison is less bothered about the haters and their comments.

The mum-of-one has openly defied critics who have scrutinised her relationship with David due to their age gap and vowed not to be put off by the chatter. Despite the unwanted attention, friends of the couple suggest that Alison is intent on enjoying her time with her new man.

Rumours circulated about the couple splitting up earlier this year. It's believed people were questioning if they were still together when David celebrated his birthday in Lake Como, Italy, without the TV presenter in May. Trying to get to the bottom of things without being too intrusive, fans asked Alison a number of questions in a social media Q&A, but the star remained tight-lipped.

One person asked her if she was happy and she shyly replied: "Happiness comes from within." According to those close to the star, she is happy with David but his parents were "concerned" for their son due to the age gap and her high-profile career. However not long after the split rumours, the pair were spotted looking loved-up as they attended The Candy Kittens Candy Day Summer Bash in London alongside Aiden.

An earlier version of this story was published in April 2024.

Do you have a story to share? Email niamh.kirk@reachplc.com