Alison Hammond has hit back at trolls who criticised her appointment as the new host of For The Love of Dogs after Paul O’Grady’s death.
The TV presenter, 49, will head to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home on the show to help the animals in its care look for a new place to live.
Paul, who died last March, became an ambassador for the shelter in 2012 after the success of the award-winning programme, which he hosted for 11 series.
Some viewers were unhappy with Alison being chosen as the new host with particular criticism given to the fact she doesn’t have any dogs herself.
Speaking to The Sun, Alison dismissed the criticism, saying: ‘I was actually surprised with how much I got for doing the show. I could understand in the sense that Paul was so loved and people were saying: ‘How can she do Love Of Dogs when she doesn’t have a dog? How does she love dogs when she doesn’t have a dog?’
Alison Hammond has hit back at trolls who criticised her appointment as the new host of For The Love of Dogs after Paul O’Grady ‘s death
Paul, who died last March, became an ambassador for the shelter in 2012 after the success of the award-winning programme, which he hosted for 11 series
‘It’s like saying: ‘How can you love children when you haven’t got kids? It’s such a flawed argument for me and all I would say is: ‘If you don’t want to watch it, don’t watch it.’ That’s what I would say to those trolls: ‘Don’t watch it then. If you don’t want to help Battersea, don’t watch it’.’
‘Trolls will be trolls and I’ll still do what I do best, which is TV presenting and you’ll see for yourself, I think it’s authentic and I loved doing it.’
Alison added that people writing cruel messages about her ‘says more about them than it does me’ and she would never troll anyone.
After she took over the role, Alison said: ‘I am very aware that I can never replace the iconic Paul in this wonderful series, but if I can continue to shine a light on the brilliant work done at Battersea and help to tell the stories of these beautiful dogs, then it will be an absolute privilege to give it my all.
‘I can’t wait to share the joy of their searches for new, loving, forever homes and hopefully make lots of furry friends of my own along the way.’
Satmohan Panesar, commissioning editor for ITV, said: ‘We are thrilled to be able to confirm that the series will return in the spring and that the dogs have a brand-new champion in Alison Hammond.
‘As Paul O’Grady always said himself, the stars of the show were the dogs themselves, but the impact that he had and the legacy he leaves will never be forgotten by any of us.
‘We can’t wait to welcome back the series with Alison; there will be all the fun and warmth that our viewers have come to expect whilst continuing to showcase the wonderful and important work done by the incredible team at Battersea.’
Alison will head to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home on the show to help the animals in its care look for a new place to live
Alison said people writing cruel messages about her ‘says more about them than it does me’ and she would never troll anyone
Paul was given a special recognition award at the 2018 National Television Awards for the impact For The Love Of Dogs had on helping find homes for rescue animals nationwide.
Battersea chief executive Peter Laurie said: ‘Everyone at Battersea is excited to embark upon a brand-new series of For the Love of Dogs with Alison Hammond.
‘Over the last 12 years, For the Love Of Dogs has shared with viewers the love and expert care Battersea dedicates to all the animals that need our help.
‘Alongside our beloved ambassador, the late, great Paul O’Grady, we’ve enjoyed showing how much joy rescue animals can give, and we’re pleased we can continue to shine a light on the work our charity undertakes every day to improve the lives of dogs and cats.
Alison said: ‘I am very aware that I can never replace the iconic Paul but if I can continue to shine a light on the brilliant work done at Battersea then it will be a privilege to give it my all’
Paul was given a special recognition award at the 2018 National Television Awards for the impact For The Love Of Dogs had on helping find homes for rescue animals nationwide
‘We’re looking forward to welcoming Alison to Battersea and introducing her to the incredible animals in our care as we help them on their journey to finding loving, new homes.’
The home’s head of animal behaviour Ali Taylor recently revealed how Paul was desperate to find homes for every animal he worked with while filming his hit ITV show.
Ali told The Mirror that the crew could ‘never stop laughing’ when filming scenes – and that Paul would try to take a new dog home with him every episode.
She added: ‘He’d be trying to steal puppies. Every week he’d fall in love with a new dog and was constantly roping in friends, family, even the crew to re-home animals.
‘He did so much to highlight the plight of rescue animals. We all miss him terribly.’