Alison Hammond mocks Holly Willoughby in This Morning return after heart scare

Alison Hammond returned to This Morning for Friday’s show (9 October) after suffering a panic attack live on-air last week.

The ITV presenter told viewers she thought she was ‘having a heart attack’ as she was ‘glad’ to be back. But she also came back with a cheeky reference to Holly Willoughby that certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Willoughby, who hosted the show from 2009 to 2023 made a famous ‘are you OK?’ speech back in 2023 when she returned to This Morning following co-host’s Phillip Schofield’s exit.

And with those simple three words, she launched countless memes and a viral pop culture reference. So unforgettable that it appears Hammond has made a bit of a light-hearted mockery of it for her own return today.

The star appeared alongside her co-host Dermot O’Leary from the This Morning sofa during the last bit of Lorraine today.

Lorraine Kelly welcomed Hammond back and asked her what was coming up on the show.

The two hosts ran through the highlights for the show before the returning presenter said: “And I’m going to tell you everything guys.

“Are you ok? I hope you are.”

With a cheeky grin down the camera lens, her co-host O’Leary seemed to stifle a laugh as his eyes dropped straight down and Kelly kept laughing, branding Hammond a ‘genius’.

Viewers called it the ‘perfect comeback’ as Super TV wrote: “Omfg Alison Hammond did the Holly Willoughby thing on This Morning and everybody lost it.”

“Genius line from her,” others agreed, although some aren’t sure if it was a fair quip to make.

“Omg love her!” many wrote in support of Hammond.

Why Alison Hammond exited the show last week

When the presenter left the show last Friday (2 October), she appeared to be clutching her chest and was taken to hospital to have a heart check-up.

Hammond had suffered a panic attack and described the experience as ‘probably one of the most scariest things’ she’s been through and said it ‘felt like a heart attack’.

“I couldn't catch my breath and I genuinely thought I was having a heart attack,” she told viewers.

“I'm so glad I'm here. I feel so grateful. I feel so thankful to God, to everything in life."

Hammond said she would 'never' usually just 'run off TV' but 'couldn't catch her breath' as the panic attack came on quickly.

"It just was like a wave, something which I've now found out is adrenaline. That came into my body. I couldn't catch my breath and I genuinely thought I was having a heart attack," she said.

Thanking O'Leary and explaining it has made her 'look at life so much differently' she also compared the experience of the panic attack to Stranger Things.

"I felt like I went into the other world - what's that show that I loved? Stranger Things. You know when you go into the Upside Down world? I felt like I went into the Upside Down world," Hammond said.

"I couldn't grasp my breath, and it was a panic attack."

The LADbible Group has contacted representatives for Hammond for comment.