Alison Hammond made her comeback to social media and television today after the man arrested on suspicion of blackmailing her was bailed.
The 48-year-old ITV star was reportedly distraught after the perpetrator - who cannot yet be identified for legal reasons - threatened that he would "ruin" her career reports the Mirror.
It's claimed that Hammond handed over thousands of pounds to a 36-year-old male, who she once believed was her friend and even offered to pay for his rehab treatments so he could confront his battle with drugs.
The man spent 24 hours in police custody following his arrest on Saturday. He has since been released from prison on bail.
Unphased, the TV favourite took to Instagram to share a selfie of her enjoying an evening out with pals.
Joining co-star Holly Willoughby, Spice Girl Emma Bunton and singer Nicole Appleton, they joined two other friends and hit the town.
The girls' night with friends was just the boost ahead of her This Morning return on Monday.
Alison captioned the snap: "Girls therapy night, needed that" as she beamed for the camera.
It was claimed Alison was threatened before buying the unidentified male a car for the sum of £5,000.
Alison, who rose to fame on Big Bother, allegedly "trusted" the male involved, but she reportedly discovered he was "only interested" in her personal finances.
A spokesperson for the force told the Mirror earlier on Saturday: "We are investigating an allegation of blackmail of a woman in her 40s. We take reports of this kind very seriously and our enquiries are progressing swiftly."
Speaking to The Sun, a source close to Alison alleges that her blackmailer had planned to make up false stories about her.
The source went on to claim Alison said: "Out of the blue he said he could tell lies to make people think less of me, it was alarming.
"I'm a very generous person and was happy to spend money on him, I wanted to help him."
Despite reporting him to the police, the source suggested that Alison feared the potential repercussions of her actions.
But while she may have been going through a tough experience in her personal life, she has continued to put on a brave face and honour her work commitments on shows such as This Morning.
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