Alison Hammond reportedly fears “stepping on Holly Willoughby’s toes” as ITV are set to turn her into their new “queen of TV”.
The presenter has been a huge hit with viewers since teaming up with Dermot O’Leary as a regular face on This Morning.
And now it’s rumoured she is the favourite to host the highly anticipated Big Brother reboot, which will air on ITV2 next year.
If she has got the gig, the 47-year-old would be the perfect person to present it – as it’s the very show she found fame on back in 2002.
Despite allegedly being “inundated” with new job offers, insiders claim Alison is “freaking out behind the scenes”.
Get all the biggest showbiz news straight to your inbox. Sign up for the free Mirror Showbiz newsletter.
A source told Closer magazine: “Alison is definitely ITV ’s new queen of TV and while many are surprised Holly isn’t being lined up for the Big Brother job, it’s a no brainer to give it to Alison.
“She’s been really shocked to be this in demand at this point in her career and ITV are determined for her to become their next big star, and they want to strike while the iron is hot.”
Alison’s team are said to feel she’s “completely unique” with a special quality viewers love and are encouraging her to go for it.
“But Alison is freaking out behind the scenes,” the source revealed. “She doesn’t want to be accused of stepping on Holly’s toes. She’s afraid to bring anything up with her, even though she thinks Holly will be supportive – she’s embarrassed.”
The insider claims ITV bigwigs are scrambling to secure a “golden handcuffs” deal with Alison – something they have previously failed to get Holly to do.
If she were to sign such a contract it would mean she could only work for ITV, unless she has special permission from bosses to do a show on another channel.
This is believed to be the reason Holly – who is reportedly on £730,000 a year from ITV alone – never signed on the dotted line.
Not committing to this has allowed her to also work for the BBC on shows such as Freeze The Fear and Take Off with Bradley and Holly.
The Mirror has reached out to ITV and Alison for comment.
But pals claim the idea of a binding contract is appealing to Alison, who is said to feel “genuinely terrified” at branching out in case a new show is a “ratings bomb”.
Meanwhile, Alison has been nominated for best TV Presenter at this year's National Television Awards – while Holly and Phil were snubbed.
Alison will battle it out against Ant and Dec for the coveted award – which they have won at every NTAs since 2001.
She is the only woman nominated in the category, which also includes Bradley Walsh and Graham Norton.
If anyone else wins in 2022, it will bring Ant and Dec’s 20-year winning streak to an end.
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@trinitymirror.com or call us direct 0207 29 33033.
