Alison Hammond ‘to be offered huge £500,000 ITV deal’

ITV bosses are reportedly lining up a number of new gameshows for Alison Hammond to host as they hope to secure her with a big money deal which could earn her up to £500,000 a year.

It is claimed channel chiefs are looking to keep her locked in with the broadcaster after Phillip Schofield was dropped following his admission of an affair with a much younger This Morning colleague.

The apparent new offer for Alison, 48, comes after it was reported Phillip’s former This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby is being eyed-up by the BBC.

A source told the Mirror: ‘ITV bosses want to cut a new deal with Alison. They are seriously worried about Holly talking to the BBC and fear she could be next.

‘She is incredibly popular and is perceived as very honest – which is worth a lot following Phillip’s admission that he lied to everyone.’

Cashing in? ITV bosses are reportedly lining up new gameshows for Alison Hammond to host as they hope to secure her with a big money deal which could earn her up to £500,000 a year

Locking in: It is claimed channel chiefs are looking to keep her with the broadcaster after Phillip Schofield was dropped following his affair with a much younger This Morning colleague

Locking in: It is claimed channel chiefs are looking to keep her with the broadcaster after Phillip Schofield was dropped following his affair with a much younger This Morning colleague

Alison, who rose to fame on the third series of Big Brother in 2002, is set to host the new series of Great British Bake Off on Channel 4.

She will be fronting the contest with The Mighty Boosh star Noel Fielding, with the programme coming under the factual arm of Channel 4.

The source added: ‘While Bake Off is factual, ITV don’t want to see Alison working on entertainment formats with any other channel.

‘They want to lock her in, and there has even been talk of a golden ­handcuffs deal solely for entertainment shows with ITV.

‘That kind of deal could see her land a salary worth as much as £500,000 a year – but there currently no plans in place for that.’

MailOnline has contacted ITV and a representative for Alison for comment. 

It comes after Alison was forced to apologise to This Morning viewers following an awkward social media blunder this week.

The Friday host who fronted the show alongside Dermot O’Leary, 50, following Phillip Schofield’s axing, revealed she had blocked dozens of unsuspecting fans. 

Oops: It comes after Alison was forced to apologise to This Morning viewers this week following an awkward social media blunder this week

Oops: It comes after Alison was forced to apologise to This Morning viewers this week following an awkward social media blunder this week

Alison apology came after her co-host announced Matthew Wright and Nick Ferrari, who would help them delve through the day’s news headlines, as ‘GOAT guests.’

The phrase which is slang for ‘Greatest Of All Time’ left Alison baffled before it’s meaning was explained. 

The former Big Brother star admitted she had seen the phrase on social media, however had previously believed it to be an acronym for something offensive.

Scandal: The Friday host, who fronted the show alongside Dermot O'Leary, 50, following Phillip Schofield's axing, revealed she had in fact blocked dozens of unsuspecting fans (Phillip pictured this month)

Scandal: The Friday host, who fronted the show alongside Dermot O’Leary, 50, following Phillip Schofield’s axing, revealed she had in fact blocked dozens of unsuspecting fans (Phillip pictured this month)

Telling viewers: ‘I’ve been blocking people, Sorry If I’ve blocked you’. 

It comes after Holly Willoughby seemingly hit back at Eamonn Holmes’ assertions that her friendship with Alison was fake. 

Eamonn, 63, had accused Holly, 42, of using Athe GBBo host and said that their friendship would never have happened two years ago, as the ladies put on a united front in the wake of the recent scandal. 

Holly hosted the ITV daytime show  alongside Craig Doyle on Wednesday, as he took over from Josie Gibson, 38, who co-hosted on Monday and Tuesday. 

Josie appeared on the show in a link filmed by the Kennet and Avon canal.

She said: ‘Stick with us over the next few days because I’m going to be on my own canal boat adventure and tomorrow is Best Friends Day, so my friends better be ready! Got a canal boat waiting for you…’

Holly responded: ‘Aw, enjoy that! Think of all the friends getting on the canal with her. The canals are about to get even more dangerous, Craig!’

Craig asked: ‘How many of you are going, Jose?’

Sorry! Alison apologised after her co-host announced Matthew Wright and Nick Ferrari, who would help them delve through the day's news headlines, as 'GOAT guests' - slang for Greatest Of All Time

Sorry! Alison apologised after her co-host announced Matthew Wright and Nick Ferrari, who would help them delve through the day’s news headlines, as ‘GOAT guests’ – slang for Greatest Of All Time

LOL: The former Big Brother star admitted that she had seen the phrase on social media, however had previously believed it to be an acronym for something offensive and blocking those who used it

LOL: The former Big Brother star admitted that she had seen the phrase on social media, however had previously believed it to be an acronym for something offensive and blocking those who used it 

Josie replied: ‘Well, I’ve been trying to round them out but Alison can’t make it, Holly’s obviously in the studio, so I’ve got one or two.’

Holly interrupted with a grin: ‘Alison can’t come because she’s at mine tonight! That’s what I do know!’

Her words came after Eamonn claimed that Holly is ‘using’ Alison as he insisted their unexpected friendship would ‘never have happened two years ago.’

In a bombshell interview for GB News, the former This Morning host slammed the impression that the pair are suddenly close pals, insisting that for over a decade there was ‘never any contact between them.’

It comes as Eamonn also accused ITV of a ‘total cover up’ over Phillip’s affair with a This Morning colleague, which he admitted to on Friday in a shocking statement.

Real deal: It comes after Holly Willoughby seemingly hit back at Eamonn Holmes ' assertions that her friendship with Alison was fake

Real deal: It comes after Holly Willoughby seemingly hit back at Eamonn Holmes ‘ assertions that her friendship with Alison was fake 

Speaking to Dan Wootton, Eamonn insisted that the idea that Holly is friends with Alison is ‘nonsense,’ claiming that the presenter ‘liked mixing in circles, which she thought would open doors for her.’

He added: ‘And they’re always seen I mean, this nonsense that goes on that Holly Willoughby now has Alison Hammond as her best friend, and it’s Alison Hammond’s birthday party and Alison Hammond goes to Holly Willoughby’s select night out with her friends. 

‘This wouldn’t have happened two years ago. You kidding? Alison has been on that programme 13 years. 

‘And I’m sure there was very little contact between her and the presenters. But then it all changed. They use people, just use other people. It’s disgusting. And it’s tolerated.

Brutal! Eamonn recently claimed that Holly is 'using' Alison as he insisted their unexpected friendship would 'never have happened two years ago'

Brutal! Eamonn recently claimed that Holly is ‘using’ Alison as he insisted their unexpected friendship would ‘never have happened two years ago’

Alison and Holly co-hosted This Morning together for the first time last month, and were lauded by viewers for their chemistry.

The Big Brother star, is tipped as the favourite to take over from Phillip as This Morning’s main host, having presented the show on Fridays and during the school holidays since 2020.

In his interview, Eamonn accused ITV of a ‘total cover up’ over Phillip’s affair, claiming that ‘those in authority had to know’ about the secret relationship because the man would be ferried between Phil’s flat and studios in taxis ‘paid for by ITV’.

He told Dan that he had decided to stand up for ‘people who hadn’t got a voice’. He revealed that Schofield’s lover, who MailOnline has decided not to name, had been badly hurt by Phil and suggested he was a victim of the man he branded a ‘chief narcissist’.

Timeline of the Phillip Schofield scandal 

September 2022 – Schofield and Willoughby are criticised for failing to queue for the Queen’s Lying in State. ITV insisted the pair were there to report from the venue.

April 2023 – Phillip is absent from This Morning for two weeks while his brother Timothy, 54, is tried at Exeter Crown Court for sexually abusing a teenage boy.

April 3 – Timothy is found guilty of  ’emotionally blackmailing’ the teenager into performing sex acts and watching porn with him. 

May 10 – Reports emerge Phillip and Holly are ‘barely speaking’, but a day later he issues a statement calling Holly ‘my rock’. 

May 15 – The pair present a united front while presenting This Morning, but rumours of a feud continue. The pair are said to have fallen out due to Phillip’s failure to warn Holly of his brother’s trial. 

May 20 – Schofield announces he is stepping down from This Morning with ‘immediate effect’. 

May 22 – Stand-in presenters Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond pay tribute to their former colleague as ‘one of the best live television broadcasters this country has ever had’. 

May 26 – Schofield releases a statement admitting he’d had an affair with a ‘much younger’ colleague but then lied about it. 

May 27 – Holly blasts Phillip for lying to her. 

May 28 – This Morning’s former resident doctor Dr Ranj Singh hits out at the show’s ‘toxic’ culture. 

May 29 – Schofield releases a statement denying claims the show had a toxic culture, only for Eamonn Holmes to slam him as ‘delusional’ on Twitter.  

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