Really?

Giving in to blackmail is never wise.

Alison Hammond reportedly called in police after she was targeted as part of a dark blackmail and extortion plot.

This Morning host Alison, 48, allegedly handed over thousands of pounds in cash to a man who threatened to make public false details of her private life if she did not give in to his demands.

It is claimed he threatened to try and end her career with the made up information if she did not also buy him a £5,000 BMW car.

And she caved, giving him money. The appropriate answer should have been, ‘do your worst and I’m informing the police, now fuck off.’ If the claims are false, they can be rebutted. If the police are involved they will help to confirm that anyway. But if the blackmailer is met with a firm refusal, then they have no weapon any more. It’s the threat that keeps them going. If the victim isn’t intimidated, then they get nothing.

Things reached boiling point for Alison when she is said to have told a colleague last week: ‘He sent me a message stating that if I didn’t give him £3,500 he would ruin me.

‘I was flabbergasted. I’m still in shock. To have a friend seeking to blackmail and extort me is just heartbreaking.

‘I had to realise I’d reached the end and go to the police.’

That was the right thing to do – albeit  bit late. If someone is engaging in blackmail, that’s a double edge sword. You blackmail me for cash, I point out that if you want to go down this route, the penalty is up to fourteen years inside. Do you want to play this game?