Alison Hammond has confessed her nerves about hosting The Great British Bake Off ahead of her debut episode on Tuesday night.
The TV personality, 48, appeared on This Morning on Tuesday where she expressed her excitement about teaming up with Noel Fielding to host the show this year.
Speaking to Holly Willoughby and Ben Shephard, she said: ‘Obviously, I’ve been in the tent before, I’ve been on the baker side so I know what is like to be that nervous.
‘But I’m gonna be honest, I have never been that nervous since I hosted first with Dermot O’Leary on the main show.
‘If you think of the bigger pictures, you think this is a global show, I don’t want to ruin this. And I could you know, I’m a little bit risky!’
Butterflies: Alison Hammond has confessed her nerves about hosting The Great British Bake Off ahead of her debut episode on Tuesday night
New role: The TV personality, 48, appeared on This Morning on Tuesday where she expressed her excitement about teaming up with Noel Fielding to host the show this year
Giggle: Alison explained she was adamant that she kept Bake Off the same and that she was worried about upstaging the other stars with her iconic laugh
Alison explained she was adamant that she kept Bake Off the same and that she was worried about upstaging the other stars with her iconic laugh.
She said: ‘I was really respectful of the brand. I just wanted it to be Bake Off – what it it was.
‘I didn’t want it upstage anyone but I couldn’t help the laugh. The laugh always comes out.’
She went on: ‘It is a massive responsibility. I feel so blessed and so privileged to be given that role, I’m pinching myself now.
‘When it was first released I didn’t realise how big it was, people I’ve never met before were saying well done Alison!
‘Everyone loves Bake Off, it’s non offensive, it’s wholesome, it’s so good. It’s a lovely show.’
Speaking about the judges, Prue Leith, 83, and Paul Hollywood, 57, Alison said: ‘Prue was over the moon there was another female. She is so lovely, so warm.
‘Every single person in front and behind the camera was so warm and giving and wanted me to do well and teaching me the ropes.
‘Paul knows everything, he’s the first one on set. He knows that show inside and out. He likes his cars, and he has a Lamborghini. He gave me a lift to my hotel.
Experience: Speaking to Holly Willoughby and Ben Shephard, she said: ‘Obviously, I’ve been in the tent before, I’ve been on the baker side so I know what is like to be that nervous’
Girl power! Speaking about the judges, Prue Leith , 83, and Paul Hollywood , 57, Alison said: ‘Prue was over the moon there was another female. She is so lovely, so warm’
‘I got in the car and it’s the first time I drove with him and the last time. He got me there safely, but it was scary.’
Ben asked Alison if she was able to try any of the delicious treats the 12 talented bakers made after judging.
She joked: ‘I had a ladle in my bra ready!’ before adding: ‘The weirdest thing is when you hear the judges say this is not that good and I go over and taste it and it’s lovely. You’ve got to remember these are the best amateur bakers in the country.’
She did confess that the show wasn’t without its sad moments, admitting that she had shed a few tears after having to say goodbye to a baker every week.
Alison explained: ‘You get invested with the bakers. You’ve got to learn 12 different names, but you get to know everybody and you get invested.
‘And when they go, it’s heart-wrenching. There might have been some tears on my half, I was like pull yourself together Alison! It’s an emotional show.’
The 14th season of Great British Bake Off will commence on Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4, and 12 budding bakers will head to the iconic tent.
And its collection of contestants are likely to keep viewers entertained over the coming weeks, with each coming from wildly contrasting professional and social backgrounds.
The Great British Bake Off presenters have learnt sign language as the show welcomes its first ever deaf contestant, while one man takes inspiration for his bakes from the converted church he lives in, and another baked his own three-tier, 12-layer 21st birthday cake.
They also come with a range of different vocational skills, including an intelligence analyst, a chartered accountant, retired airline cabin crew and a student.
Eliminations: She did confess that the show wasn’t without its sad moments, admitting that she had shed a few tears after having to say goodbye to a baker every week
Exciting: The 14th season of Great British Bake Off will commence on Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4 , and 12 budding bakers will head to the iconic tent
GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF 2023: WHO ARE THE CONTESTANTS?
Tasha
Age: 27
Occupation: Participation officer
From: Bristol
Bake Off presenters have learnt sign language as the show welcomes its first ever deaf contestant.
Tasha, 27, is a participation officer from Bristol and will be joining the show with her BSL interpreter, Daryl.
She said: ‘When I had the Zoom call to tell me I was one of the 12, I cried. Daryl also cried. We were a mess.’
Amos
Age: 43
Occupation: Deli and grocery manager
From: North London
Amos describes his bakes as a labour of love – his style is colourful and chic with keen attention to detail, and he loves exploring different flavour profiles.
He compares his baking style to the converted church that he now lives in, calling both his style and home ‘traditional with a modern twist’.
Rowan
Age: 21
Occupation: University student
From: West Yorkshire
‘Go big, or go home’ is student Rowan’s motto, and one that he has always applied to his bakes.
A student of English literature, when he’s not writing up a storm, Rowan is also a keen host, applying his creative eye to his cooking.
Abbi
Age: 27
Occupation: Vegetable grower and delivery driver
From: Cumbria
A lover of the great outdoors, she forages for seasonal ingredients and puts her homegrown veg to good use.
Abbi’s bakes aim to combine comfort and familiarity with a strong nod towards nature, and a feeling of creating something magical – bakes with a touch of fairytale.
Cristy
Age: 33
Occupation: PA
From: East London
For Cristy, life with four children means that there always seems to be a birthday to bake for and an exciting party to plan.
She describes her baking style as enchanted and pretty – bakes that conjure up a sense of childhood.
Dan
Age: 42
Occupation: Civil engineering resource planner
From: Cheshire
Perfectionist Dan loves a baking challenge and will often find the hardest bake in one of his 300 cook books.
When he’s not baking, he loves to play football with his two young sons or forage for edible treats in the countryside.
Dana
Age: 25
Occupation: Database administrator
From: Essex
She loves a semi-naked cake with neat lines, pretty piping and minimalist decoration; and although she likes to keep her flavours safe, Dana will often incorporate a twist or two, adding in familiar spices associated with her Indian heritage.
Josh
Age: 27
Occupation: Post-doctoral research associate
From: Leicestershire
Post-doctoral research associate Josh is a chemist by trade and brings his scientist’s precision and keenness to experiment into the kitchen, taking careful notes on each part of the baking process.
Keith
Age: 60
Occupation: Chartered accountant
From: Hampshire
Keith has a penchant for apple pies and fairy cakes – which he learned to bake with his mum.
The treats form the baking backdrop to Keith’s childhood, along with his mum’s love for traditional dishes from her home in Malta.
Matty
Age: 28
Occupation: PE and science teacher
From: Cambridgeshire
He describes his style as rustic but neat, and his flavour preferences as quite traditional – he particularly loves chocolate, citrus and nuts.
Once his days in the tent are over, his nex challenge will be to make his own wedding cake.
Nicky
Age: 52
Occupation: Retired cabin crew and volunteer
From: West Midlands
Her favourite bakes are pastries, but she also loves making fun birthday cakes for her niece and grandchildren.
When she’s not baking, Nicky volunteers for a pet-therapy charity along with her dog Bracken and loves to ski, which she has been doing since she was only three years old.
Saku
Age: 50
Occupation: Intelligence analyst
From: Herefordshire
At her family home in Sri Lanka, Saku didn’t have an oven until she was 18, so she turned to baking only when she moved with her husband to the UK, in 2003.
Self-taught, she relishes using her homegrown ingredients from her vegetable patch.
