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Alison Hammond revealed she suffers with PTSD after cruel bullies taunted her at school by calling her ‘elephant.’
The much-loved This Morning host, 46, admitted she still has panic attacks and is triggered by the word elephant to this day.
She shared that her PTSD was previously set off during a safari, saying she was afraid someone would compare the animal to her, saying: ‘anything to do with elephants sets it off.’
Brave: Alison Hammond revealed she suffers with PTSD after cruel bullies taunted her at school by calling her ‘elephant’
The brave TV host told The Mirror that whenever she hears anyone talking about the animal she ‘instantly thinks they are talking about her.’
Alison opened up in her new book You’ve Got to Laugh, about an event that she attended with Virgin Radio host Kate Lawler.
Brian May had apparently told them off for talking over a performance, afterwards he got up to make a speech and said there was an ‘elephant in the room’ and she thought he was referring to her.
She said: ‘I had a full-on panic he was going to start embarrassing me in front of everybody.’ In fact, the rocker was referring to something completely different.
So cruel: The much-loved This Morning host, 46, admitted she still has panic attacks and is triggered by the word elephant to this day
Honest: Alison recently discussed getting her gastric band removed, saying that she believes ‘mentally’ she wasn’t ready for it and had it removed after struggling with the side effects (Pictured September 2021)
‘I’m not sure what lesson I took away from that day, but I’m sure I’m not the only person who lives with PTSD dating back to their schooldays.’
Alison recently discussed getting her gastric band removed, saying that she believes ‘mentally’ she wasn’t ready for it and had it removed after struggling with the side effects.
But following the second lockdown, her doctor warned that she was pre-diabetic. Alison has since cut out sugar and now goes for regular walks, and thanks to the changes and subsequent weight-loss, is no longer pre-diabetic.
She admitted: ‘Lockdown was dire for me in terms of weight. I couldn’t control my eating or how much exercise I did. It got to a stage where my doctor said: ‘You’ve got to do something about this, Alison.’
‘I’ve never had health issues until then. It scared me because my mum had diabetes and I want to be there for my son. So I decided to do something about it.’
Interview: But following the second lockdown, her doctor warned that she was pre-diabetic. Alison has since cut out sugar and now goes for regular walks, and thanks to the changes and subsequent weight-loss, is no longer pre-diabetic (Pictured with son Aiden, 16)
Alison decided to undergo the gastric band surgery after a chair broke underneath her while she was interviewing Matt Damon for his film The Bourne Ultimatum in 2007.
The television presenter wrote about the incident in her upcoming Memoir, obtained by The Sun, saying: ‘He was incredible. I was so pleased to meet him. But halfway through the interview, something awful and embarrassing happened.
‘My size and weight went against me and suddenly the side of the chair broke. It was a horrible, shameful moment. My girth had broken the chair while I was interviewing Matt Damon, one of my idols! I was mortified. I wanted the world to swallow me.’
She went on to admit that rather than bursting into tears like she wanted to, her and Matt laughed it off while the interview carried on.
She admitted: ‘Lockdown was dire for me in terms of weight. I couldn’t control my eating or how much exercise I did. It got to a stage where my doctor said: ‘You’ve got to do something about this, Alison.’ (Pictured March 2021)
After that moment, Alison revealed that she was adamant on getting the stomach surgery, but the operation proved to not work as she was not mentally ready to diet even though her stomach had shrunk.
She penned: ‘It didn’t feel right to be eating so little, and although having a gastric band is supposed to make you feel full quicker, I was eating salad and still feeling hungry afterwards.’
Alison harked back to her childhood in the story for the publication, attributing her eating habits to a moment when her dad threatened to punish her if she didn’t eat all her food on her plate.
She kept the gastric band for two years before getting it removed, but admitted that she did not lose more than two stone when she had it in.
If you have been affected by this story, call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org
Revelation: It comes after Alison revealed that she knew it was time for gastric band surgery after a chair broke underneath her while interviewing Matt Damon (pictured September 2021)
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