Alison Hammond and Paloma Faith bond over ‘feeling like a failure’ after splitting from the fathers of their kids

Alison Hammond and Paloma Faith bonded on Friday following their split from their children’s fathers.

While the pair admitted they both “felt like failures” after the end of their long-term relationships during the candid chat.

Alison, 48, was previously married to Noureddine Boufaied, although it is unclear when they split, with whom she shares son Aidan, 18. While Paloma, 42, confirmed her divorce from the father of her two young daughters Leyman Lahcine in 2022.

The singer appeared on the couch to talk about her new album The Glorification of Sadness, which she said was inspired by her “painful” breakup.

Saying: ‘I feel a real sense of responsibility, the stages of grief are still present and even two years later I still feel the guilt of abandoning my children’.

While the pair admitted they both ‘felt like failures’ after the end of their long-term relationships during the candid chat

“It’s definitely my biggest failure and my only regret, and I’ve never really been one to regret anything.”

Alison offered advice, saying, “That doesn’t make you a failure; you’re a single mother and a pop star destroying life. That is your life and journey and story.”

Before I admitted, “I felt that failure in my son’s father when we separated, but he moved on and now has three other children and they are part of our lives.”

Alison was married to the Manchester taxi driver and discovered she was pregnant shortly after appearing in the third series of Big Brother.

The star declined to name who the father was at the time, but later posed together for a magazine shoot while three months pregnant.

Alison has previously admitted that her only regret is not having more children.

She said Hello magazine in 2021: ‘My only wish would be that I had had more children. I wish I’d had three more then.

‘I would definitely consider adoption in the future. I have so much more love to give – I don’t think I’m done with one child, I’m just not.

Alison, 48, was previously married to taxi driver Noureddine Boufaied (pictured) with whom she shares son Aidan, 18

While Paloma, 42, confirmed her divorce from the father of her two young daughters Leyman Lahcine in 2022 (pictured together in 2015)

Alison was married to the Manchester taxi driver and discovered she was pregnant shortly after appearing in the third series of Big Brother (pictured with son Aidan)

‘Aidan already has two sisters and a brother on his father’s side, whom he still sees.’

Paloma, who has chosen not to reveal the names of her children, welcomed her first daughter in December 2016, followed by a second in February 2021.

In October she admitted that her breakup with Leyman was “the worst thing that ever happened to her.”

Speaking about the Reign with Josh Smith podcast, she confirmed that she and her ex are still in touch, but sometimes the conversations can be “harrowing” – describing the separation as “devastating” yet “liberating.”

Paloma used the grieving process of the relationship as inspiration for her new album and first single How You Leave A Man.

She said: “It’s about the worst breakup I’ve ever had, because it’s the longest relationship I’ve ever had, and we obviously had two kids together, so it’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to me in my life.

“I couldn’t ignore it when I was writing, but it also makes me feel the most private because there are children involved, so it’s weird, but I hope the songs speak for themselves.

‘I’m not mincing words, am I, when I’m making a song called How You Leave A Man? It’s like, “Oh, I wonder what it’s about.” But I find it liberating.

‘I feel like the whole album, if you go from start to finish, basically describes the stages of grief and it goes from the self-destructive moments to the insular moments to the really vulnerable moments and actually the kind of unusual pieces for me like a female artist are the empowering moments.’

Paloma appeared on the couch to talk about her new album The Glorification of Sadness, which she said was inspired by the ‘painful’ breakup (pictured in 2018)