Smiling widely as she snuggled up to him, Alison Hammond finally revealed her new boyfriend: handsome 6ft 10in Russian masseuse, model and dancer David Putman, who is believed to be 20 years her junior.
An image of the TV star posing alongside her new boyfriend mysteriously appeared on Instagram on Monday before being deleted within minutes. Her team claims that her account had been hacked.
Whatever the truth, fans of the This Morning host spotted her wearing a black and gray New York Yankees baseball cap and a puffer jacket. David, dressed in a smart brown jacket, had his arm around her proudly.
With glasses and a brown hat, Putman looks a bit geeky, but he’s far from shy. Images unearthed online show him posing nearly naked in Armani boxers, as well as in other risqué poses.
Despite enjoying the most meteoric rise in recent years, her friends say that all Alison wants is “to be loved.”
David Putman has been revealed as Alison Hammond’s mystery boyfriend. Images discovered online show him posing nearly naked in Armani boxers, as well as in other risqué poses.
The This Morning presenter appeared to share a photo on social media, showing the couple on a walk in the countryside with their arms in each other’s arms, but it was deleted within minutes.
So perhaps they can be forgiven for taking care of her when it comes to a new man. A friend of the 49-year-old woman noted that David is closer in age to her 18-year-old son Aidan than to hers.
It was at a Loose Women live show at the London Palladium last autumn that Alison let it slip that she had a new man in her life.
‘Who has the most jiggy jigs?’ asked presenter Christine Lampard, to which Alison wasted no time in replying: “Well, I am.”
For the hugely popular TV presenter, it was almost certainly a cocky boast. She has been open to pursuing The One for some time.
But her friends hope she doesn’t get carried away too soon by David, who they describe as “quirky” and “edgy.”
He was born in southern Russia and appears proud of his roots, posing in national costume while competing in youth choirs and military attire, including black boots and a bearskin hat.
He studied as a ‘body therapist’ in the Black Sea city of Sochi, with his services of ‘classics, lymphatic drainage, anti-cellulite, wraps, [and] “facial massage” is still advertised on a Russian website.
David was born in southern Russia and appears proud of his roots, posing in national costume while competing in youth choirs and military attire, including black boots and a bearskin hat.
He has relatives in Brighton, other family connections across the UK and has shared images of himself attending pro-Palestinian marches in London.
A friend says: “On TV, Alison is cheerful, she has an extraordinary personality, but behind all that is a single mother who sometimes feels alone.
‘She has wanted to settle down for many years and has had several boyfriends, but none of them have worked out. Some have been a bit questionable. You could say that she is quite vulnerable when she is looking for love.
‘Those who are close to her fear that she will be taken advantage of. She has a lot to give, she is now rich and quite famous and that is a concern for her friends.
‘Obviously alarm bells go off when there’s a 20-year age difference… and there’s someone involved who is rich. Surely it is natural that there is some concern.”
Over the past four years, Alison – who rose to fame on Big Brother in 2002 – has gone from being This Morning’s entertainment correspondent, to playing second fiddle to presenters Holly Willoughby and Fern Britton, to being the woman most requested on television.
You can’t blame Alison’s friends after a series of heartbreaks for the star.
“The only thing he’s ever wanted” is to settle down, says a friend.
Alison is said to be “deeply sad” at not having made her relationship with the father of her child, Noureddine Boufaied, a Manchester-based taxi driver, work.
The couple split in 2014 and then she fell for single father and security guard Jamie Savage, whom she met on social media. But the relationship ended after three years.
Last year it emerged that Alison was at the center of an alleged blackmail plot following allegations that a former friend threatened to reveal false details about her private life.
Alison is said to be “deeply sad” that she failed to make her relationship with the father of her child, Noureddine Boufaied, a Manchester-based taxi driver, work.
Alison and her son, Aiden, at the Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards in 2022
She showed West Midlands Police the threatening messages she had received from him as part of an eight-month ordeal. It is believed she reached breaking point when the man promised to “ruin” her unless she gave him £3,500. Previously, she apparently handed him a £5,000 BMW when he said she would use the false information to “end her career.”
Those closest to her say the news surprised Alison.
“I couldn’t believe someone would do something like that to him,” says a source familiar with the situation.
“After that, you’d have all kinds of trust issues.”
That’s right. Over the past four years, Alison, who rose to fame on Big Brother in 2002, has gone from being This Morning’s entertainment correspondent, playing a supporting role to hosts Holly Willoughby and Fern Britton for 18 years, to being the woman most requested on television.
After splitting from Noureddine Boufaied, she fell for single father and security guard Jamie Savage, whom she met on social media. But the relationship failed after three years.
When editor Martin Frizell looked for a new presenter, Alison was the obvious choice. Alison and Dermot O’Leary replaced Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes as hosts of the Friday show, as well as providing Holly and Phil Schofield’s Christmas coverage.
She was quickly embraced by viewers (and other channels) and is now about to start filming her second series of The Great British Bake Off for Channel 4 after being poached by the rival network.
And this week saw her take the place of the late and much-loved Paul O’Grady in ITV’s For The Love Of Dogs.
Last week it was announced that the BBC also managed to get a part of her after they signed her up for a new series, Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend, in which she will spend 48 hours with a celebrity.
David trained as a body therapist in Sochi on the Black Sea, and his “classics, lymphatic drainage, anti-cellulite, wraps and facial massages” services are still advertised on a Russian website.
In 2023, the presenter appeared on This Morning with a green ring on her finger, which she described as a unique ring.
His rising stardom allowed him to buy his dream home in Solihull, West Midlands, last month after selling the £700,000 home he had been living in.
Sharing a photo of her sprawling new garden on social media, the Brummie star wrote: “I feel so excited knowing that without all your support and love I wouldn’t be seeing this view.
‘This is my new garden that I drew when I was a child but I never dreamed it would become a reality. Thank you.’
Alison can do no wrong when it comes to her army of fans. Her popularity continues to rise and her life has begun to “come together,” her friends say.
That’s why they “really hope” you take your time to get to know handsome David.
“She’s obviously very happy with David,” her friend says. “There were some years where she had to struggle a lot as a single mother and that makes her an even greater achievement.
“Seeing something derail would be absolutely heartbreaking. Many of her friends adore Alison, we all hope David loves her as much as we all do.”