Alison Hammond returns to This Morning one week after ‘scary’ on-air health scare

Alison Hammond has returned to This Morning after suffering a panic attack live on air last week, admitting she was nervous about coming back to the ITV show.The presenter, 51, was back on the sofa alongside co-host Dermot O’Leary today (October 9), where she described the experience as one of the scariest moments of her life.Hammond said she had initially feared she was having a heart attack after struggling to catch her breath during last week’s broadcast.Alison Hammond shared a further health update on Instagram at the weekendAlison Hammond / InstagramAddressing viewers as the show began, she thanked those who had sent messages of support and praised colleagues for looking after her.She said: “Thank you, first of all, for holding the fort, and thank you to everyone who sent their good wishes.“All I can say is, in that moment, it was probably one of the most scariest things that I've ever been through. It was surreal.”Comparing the experience to the supernatural Netflix series Stranger Things, she said she felt as though she had entered its eerie alternate dimension, the Upside Down.Hammond's return also saw her make a playful reference to Holly Willoughby's famous question to viewers, “Are you OK?”ITVShe added: “I couldn't grasp my breath, and it was a panic attack,” she explained.“It was the first time I've ever experienced anything like that. Secondly, it was live on TV, so I thought, oh my gosh, my son might be watching, so I just ran. I ran off TV.“I would never do that normally, but I just couldn't catch my breath.”The presenter also admitted she had felt anxious about returning to the programme, describing the panic attack as a “wave” of adrenaline, which she discussed during Friday’s episode.She said: “I'll be honest with you there, I was anxious about coming back, but I thought if I don't come back today, probably wouldn't come back.“I don't think I'd come back because then I would have made a thing that it's This Morning that is causing the panic, but it can happen anywhere.”Hammond's return also saw her make a playful reference to former co-host Holly Willoughby's famous question to viewers, “Are you OK?”, when she returned to the programme in 2023.Willoughby was a former co-host of This MorningITVIn a preview aired on Lorraine before the show, Hammond joked: “And I'm going to tell you everything, guys. Are you OK? I hope you are.”Read MoreThe programme also addressed panic attacks, with Hammond and O’Leary joined by Dr Sian Williams to discuss the experience and its potential effects.Williams praised Hammond for speaking openly about what had happened, saying it could help reassure others who experience similar episodes.Alison experienced her first ever panic attack, live on air while presenting This MorningITVHammond's return comes after she shared an update from home over the weekend, thanking NHS staff for carrying out checks on her heart, lungs and blood.Over the weekend, she said the results were clear and that she had been told she had experienced a “massive panic attack” during the broadcast.