This Morning star Alison Hammond candidly admitted she is “disappointed in herself” after she was confronted on air by 8 year old amputee Tony Hudgell for failing to attend his charity walk on Friday.
The 48 year old star, who was co-hosting the show with Josie Gibson, 38, originally spoke to Tony via a video link from the studio, to commend him on his impressive sponsored walk which saw him scale the summit of Orrest Head in the Lake District – a feat which had seen him raise over £19,000 for charity.
Yet rather than receive the reception they might have hoped for, the youngster hit out at Alison as he told her: “When I needed you, you weren’t there!”
The youngster had originally appeared on the show last month to talk about his exciting fundraising challenge, and had been hoping Alison would attend to cheer him on.
Alison then admitted: “I was recording an episode of Bake Off and I couldn’t make it, but next time I will be there.”
“But I am sorry I couldn’t be there I am disappointed in myself I couldn’t be there and everyone is disappointed I couldn’t be there.”
She then added: “I’m sure everyone is disappointed I wasn’t there but you did it. You did it on everyone’s behalf and I’m so proud of you.”
In recognition of her absence, Alison then told Tony she would personally donate £500 to his fundraising efforts after missing out on his hike.
Double amputee Tony was just 41 days old when he suffered life changing injuries at the hands of his biological parents, including eight fractures to his legs and later developed life-threatening septicaemia in 2014, which lead to the loss of both his legs.
As well as causing the injuries themselves, which included fractures to both thighbones, both lower legs, the right lower leg and ankle, dislocations and blunt trauma to his face leading to organ failure, his parents also failed to seek medical care for his injuries for 10 days.
As a result of the abuse he suffered, the young lad's father Tony Smith, 52, is serving a 10-year prison sentence for swinging his infant son by the legs.
His mother, Jody Simpson, 30, was also handed a matching jail term, but was released from prison in February 2023 after serving just half her sentence.
Thankfully, despite his harrowing early start in life, little Tony has gone on to find comfort and safety in the arms of his adoptive parents Paula and Mark, who couldn’t be prouder of all he has achieved.
Yet rather than just content himself with just a happy home life, Tony has taken it upon himself to raise money for the hospital that saved his life, the Evelina Children’s Hospital in London.
Back in 2020, the charming youngster raised over £1.5million for the hospital by taking part in a sponsored walk on his prosthetic legs, to pay tribute to the staff that had played a vital role in saving his life.
In honour of his achievement, Tony was even awarded a British Citizen Youth Award at the House of Lords!
If you’d like to donate to Tony’s fundraising efforts, you can do so here
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