Alison Hammond: ITV This Morning star ‘absolutely loving’ new job with Virgin Trains Ticketing

Alison Hammond has been unusually quiet on social media in recent weeks. Her absence from Instagram and Twitter came at the time of Phillip Schofield’s departure from ITV’s This Morning , which only seemed to elevate controversy and speculation from viewers.

Although Alison has done a stellar job of stepping up in the absence of Holly Willoughby, she spent some time away from the ITV breakfast show this Thursday (15 June) to start  a new job. The Brummie presenter broke her social media silence, revealing that she was inspecting commuters’ tickets at Paddington train station.

Known for her glamorous looks, Alison, 48, donned a red-sequin jacket over her uniform which consisted of a smart black dress and ticket inspector's hat. Working for Virgin Trains Ticketing, she remarked: “I’m dressed like this - I am absolutely loving it”.

A Tweet from multi-billionaire Richard Branson unveiled the Great British Bake Off presenter’s new role, with a video of the new ‘chief ticket inspector’ meeting some surprised London commuters. Posting to his 12.5 million followers, Branson wrote: “Revealing our 

@VirginTrainsTix Chief Inspector is... @AlisonHammond! She brought smiles and sequins to Paddington as she inspected commuters tickets – and asked them to download the Virgin Trains Ticketing app in exchange for some Virgin Points”.

Fans of the British TV legend went wild in response to the news. One Twitter user said: “She really is a true gem, and I hear on the grapevine, she’s never travelled first class on an airline! Just saying! Make it happen, Richard!!!” Another added: “She is delightful”. A third fan who bumped into Alison at Paddington station wrote: “I loved it!!! 😍”.