Alison Hammond: 'Spice Girls star Mel B loves leopard print - it's who she is'

So, imagine what she will do with Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend. In the six-part series, Hammond spends quality time with some of the biggest celebrities in the UK. She will ask the questions viewers are desperate to know, as she gains exclusive access to the stars’ personal lives, history and homes.

“I do absolutely nothing but be myself and go in with an open heart and open mind to see what these people like,” says Hammond, who took over presenting ITV’s For The Love Of Dogs from Paul O’Grady after he passed away in March 2023. “What you tend to find is when you’re with them, and they’re talking about their lives, and they’re in their own homes and not a studio, they’re a lot more comfortable and relaxed. They don’t need to impress anyone, because they’re in their own environment.”

Hammond also sees the stars with their family and friends. “I just think it’s lovely to see their real relationships, how they connect with their own family and how they naturally are in their own habitat. You get to see a lot more when their families are involved, because you hear stories that they’ve never told before, or that are just so endearing because they come from the truth and their family. With a lot of these celebrities, they’re very media-trained. They’re at the point where they know exactly what to say, what to give, what not to give, but they’re a little bit more vulnerable when they’ve got their families there.”

The first episode features former Little Mix singer-songwriter Perrie Edwards, 31. In subsequent episodes, Hammond takes a boat trip with Irish-British comedian Jimmy Carr, 52, and visits the Midlands with British-Jamaican comedian and actor Sir Lenny Henry, 66. Other guests on the show include Welsh actor Luke Evans, 46, former professional boxer Tony Bellew, 42 and Leeds-born Spice Girl Mel B, 49.

"I didn’t realise Mel B was so into leopard print, to the point where she would put it up as wallpaper in her living room,” says Hammond. “I thought that was purely from being in the Spice Girls. But she genuinely, absolutely loves leopard print. It’s not even a joke, it’s who she is.”

"I (also) didn’t realise Mel B kept the signs that she used to have for shows and stuff like that,” adds Hammond. “So, for example, ‘Mel B in Concert for One Night Only’, like that is literally in her kitchen, hanging up. And do you remember those massive shoes that they used to wear in the Spice Girls? She’s still got them. I tried them on, but her feet were smaller than mine, so I couldn’t get my foot in."

Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend comes to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Friday, May 16.