Alison Hammond 'shaken by negativity around new relationship as friends step in to help'

TV star Alison Hammond is 'shaken' by the undue criticism she's received over her age-gap relationship, according to a source.

The 49-year-old was recently seen out at a celebrity event with her Russian masseur boyfriend David Putman - a man 23 years her junior. The pair are thought to have met more than a year ago after she booked him for a massage.

Their relationship turned romantic by the end of last year but some fans were left shocked in April when Alison first shared a glimpse of her life with David on her Instagram page. However, insiders claim the disapproval she has faced - including from David’s mum Olga - hasn't gone down well at all.

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“Alison is really shaken by what she feels is a barrage of negativity since she announced her relationship with David. She can’t get her head around the snide comments. It’s taken the shine off what should have been such a happy time in her life," one source told Heat.

They went on to add that Alison “can’t understand” why dating a younger man is so taboo in society, before pointing out that film legend Dame Joan Collins’ relationship with Percy Gibson - 31 years her junior - “never got this much grief”.

The masseur's mum reportedly wants her son to settle down and find a “nice Russian girl”, and also harbours concerns that Alison holds more “financial power” than David. The Russian, however, is said to be “unfazed” by his parent's words and Alison’s own teenage son Aidan, 19, is also said to be supporting the couple.

According to the source, Alison's friends - two of whom are also in age-gap relationships - advised that the best thing to do is, “not to give any f*** what people think,” and have insisted that “age is only a number". The star's past relationships with audio technician Ben Kusi and gardener Ben Hawkins both ended in heartbreaks, but her friends now believe she could “go all the way to the altar” with David.

They noted Alison’s five stone weight loss, saying it is all in a bid to be able to fit into the wedding dress of her dreams. One source claimed to Closer: “Although she’s not yet engaged, she sees David as The One. It likely won’t be long until they take the next step, so she has her sights on losing a further three stone and wearing the dress of her dreams.”