Alison Hammond opened up about her late father’s ‘shady’ lifestyle she witnessed growing up.
The daytime presenter, 46, revealed that her dad Clifford used to smuggle drugs and was usually seen with a big wad of cash, and was still someone who was ‘feared’ within his community in Jamaica.
In her new lifestyle book, You’ve Got To Laugh, the former Big Brother star detailed how Clifford imported drugs between the UK and the Caribbean.
In an excerpt obtained by The Mirror, she wrote: ‘That was my dad! Cliff was charismatic and charming, but he was naughty.
‘He’d illegally bring drugs into the country in the days when people could get away with it before they introduced sniffer dogs and body scans at the airport.’
Alison also explained that while her dad spoiled her with lavish gifts, other people felt a sense of unease around him.
‘You could tell by the way people spoke about him that he was respected and feared in the community,’ she added.
‘They called him Mr Hammond and you could see the unease in their eyes when they spoke to him. I’m not surprised, either, because he drove everywhere with a massive shotgun tucked under his pick-up truck. He didn’t mess around.’
Clifford passed away in Jamaica in June 2020, with the presenter unable to attend his funeral due to the Covid pandemic.
She wrote: ‘This is my real Dad Clifford Hammond who passed away last week in Jamaica 🇯🇲.
‘I’m saddened that I won’t be able to make his funeral and saddened that he wasn’t part of my life as much as I would have liked but I still have a sense of loss and emptiness.
‘Sleep well Daddy , love leaves a memory no on can steal . RIP 🙏🏾.’
The news of her father’s death came just four months after the TV personality lost her mum to liver and lung cancer.
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