The TV personality revealed she felt she’d ‘failed’ when her relationship with her son’s father broke down, and a source claims she felt the pressure of being a single parenting

Our source says Alison and Aidan have had their fair share of ups and downs(Image: BBC/Rock Oyster Media Productions Ltd)

Alison Hammond and her son Aidan made their debut on Celebrity Gogglebox last week, a few months after he revealed some heartbreaking details about his childhood. The 20-year-old DJ recalled he used to run away from home and seek solace at his nan’s house when things at home with his mum Alison, 50, got too much.

Alison and her ex-partner – Noureddine Boufaied, a taxi driver from Manchester – separated in 2014, when Aidan was nine, and the youngster spent most of his time living with his telly star mum in Birmingham. While the mother-and-son duo now enjoy a close bond – and have worked together on BBC travelogue Alison Hammond ’s Florida Unpacked and now Channel 4 ’s Celebrity Gogglebox – a source tells new they’ve had their ups and downs.

Alison regularly gushes about Aidan on her social media(Image:

“It was hard when Alison was parenting by herself, there wasn’t anyone to bounce off or share the responsibility or everyday stresses. That put a lot of pressure on her, and she really felt it,” our source said. “It’s a lot to deal with, and on top of that, there are the teenage hormones and things, it’s a lot of pressure.

“They’re so close, but they would sometimes clash and Aidan would go off to his nan’s house to get some space. It would leave Alison feeling understandably worried.”

Earlier this year, Aidan revealed how much he and his mum benefited from having his maternal grandma, Maria, living close by, especially when things were difficult at home.

“She had a house pretty much opposite us, so we could literally leave and run across the road,” he said. “So when my mum was doing my head in, I’d just go to my nan’s.”

Aidan says he would go to his nan Maria’s house when things were tricky at home(Image: alisonhammond55/Instagram)

Maria, who Alison has described as her “best friend”, died in early 2020 after a battle with liver and lung cancer, and it left a huge hole in Alison and Aidan’s life.

A few weeks after her death, Alison wrote a moving tribute on her Instagram page, which said, “Thank you, Mummy, for giving me the strength to move forward in the knowledge that you’re OK and with God in Heaven now. I will always remember you and try and make you proud. I love you, Mum.”

Aidan described himself, his mum and his nan as “a little trio”, and said they “were very close all the time”.

While Alison is now loved-up with Russian massage therapist David Putman, some 20 years her junior, she has previously admitted she felt like she had “failed” when she broke up with Aidan’s father.

Chatting to pop star Paloma Faith about solo parenting on This Morning, the usually upbeat presenter said, “I felt that failure when I split up with my son’s dad… but he’s moved on, he’s married, he’s got three other children – they’re part of our family as well.”

This Morning’s Alison Hammond’s mystery man ‘revealed’ and she’s ‘never been happier’(Image: Instagram/ @alisonhammond55)

While Alison’s career has gone from strength to strength since her stint in the Big Brother house in 2002, bringing up Aidan as a single parent has been far from easy for her.

Our source says while there’s a “deep love” and unbreakable bond, they’ve had their fair share of tough times.

“They’re both big characters and have big personalities and feelings, but that sometimes made it a difficult relationship,” the source said. “But deep down they deeply love each other and there’s a respect there.

“It’s nice for people to see the relationship they have now and see how they’ve come out the other side, but there were some very tough times and it’s taken work and a lot of learning on both sides, particularly Alison’s.”

Our source says Alison and Aidan share a lot of love and respect

The Great British Bake Off co-host, who regularly describes Aidan as “my heart”, became incredibly emotional on stage last year when she accepted a special prize at the Multicultural Business & Community Champion Awards. After collecting her Inspirational Honorary Role Model Award, Alison wiped away tears as she talked about the sacrifices she had made in her life.

“When you work so hard there are sacrifices you have to make and I’ve sacrificed a lot of time with my son… and I just want to say to my son, I love you so much, son,” she said. “And I’m so sorry I haven’t always been there, but I’ll be honest with you, the reason I was doing it was only for you.”