Alison Hammond returns to This Morning after on-air health scare

Alison Hammond left Friday’s live edition of ITV’s This Morning partway through and went to hospital for a heart check-up. In a video from a hospital bed, she said she had experienced “a little bit of a palpitation” and was being checked by doctors. “Honestly, I am fine,” she told followers, as reported by BBC News. [1]

Her co-host Dermot O’Leary told viewers that Hammond was feeling unwell and had left the programme. He later said she would not return for the rest of the broadcast. [1]

Hammond said she hoped the episode was a panic attack or something similar. She did not give a diagnosis or the results of the hospital checks. [1]

Update

Alison Hammond has returned home after going to hospital for a heart check-up following her departure from ITV’s *This Morning* on Friday. In an Instagram video on Saturday, she said she had been given the all-clear and was “feeling so much better”. [2]

Hammond left the live programme during a segment about pets. Her co-host Dermot O’Leary helped her off set and later told viewers she was feeling unwell. Hammond subsequently said she had experienced a palpitation and was undergoing tests. [2]

Hammond suggested that what happened on air had been a panic attack. She said she was new to panic attacks and planned to take stock and rest. [2]

Update

Alison Hammond returned to her weekly slot on ITV’s *This Morning* on Friday, a week after leaving a live broadcast, according to BBC News. She told viewers that she had struggled to catch her breath during the earlier show and “genuinely thought I was having a heart attack”. [3]

Hammond described the episode as a panic attack and said she had never experienced anything like it before. She said she had been anxious about returning, but thought that if she did not come back that day, she might not come back at all. She said she did not know whether the demands of live television had played a part. [3]