Alison Hammond said she is ‘surprised’ at the backlash she has received since taking over presenting For the Love of Dogs after Paul O’Grady’s sudden death last year

TV bosses say they are not going to give Alison Hammond the boot following controversy over her new presenting role on For the Love of Dogs.

The 49-year-old took over hosting duties from the late Paul O’Grady after his unexpected death from a heart attack at the age of 67 last March. But Alison has been getting mixed reviews from viewers since the new series with her at the helm began at the end of April. And many have asked if she was the right person to take over – as she doesn’t actually own any pets herself.

Last week, a source close to the ITV show told the Mirror TV bosses were “very disappointed” with the new show and revealed staff at Battersea Dogs Home have been told Alison’s future in her new presenting role is uncertain. They said: “Everyone was very excited when Alison was confirmed to replace Paul. She had very big shoes to fill, but it was felt that with her warmth and bubbly personality she could do it. Unfortunately the casting has not worked out how the team behind the show hoped – and it has turned out to be a bit of a misfit.

“ITV are very disappointed because it’s such a well-loved programme, and of course Alison is an ITV favourite too. But unfortunately sometimes in spite of everyone’s best efforts, things just don’t work out. Conversations are now ongoing about her future on the show within ITV and that has been communicated to Battersea. They are of course very passionate about the show, and want it to go on as long as possible.”

Alison has divided viewers since she began presenting For the Love of Dogs in April (
Image:
ITV)

But a spokesperson has since said they are “really pleased” with Alison’s work on the show and are not making any decisions about her future at the moment. They told the Mirror: “Any suggestion that conversations at decision-making level regarding the future of Alison’s role on For the Love of Dogs have been held within ITV or between the production team and Battersea are entirely without foundation. This new series is in the middle of its run and standard practice means no meaningful assessment of future plans would be made at this stage. Everyone’s really pleased with the way Alison has brought her warmth and enthusiasm to the show and we hope viewers continue to enjoy it over the next month on ITV1 and on ITVX.”

Alison recently spoke out on the backlash she had received about the show since taking over from Paul, including complaints she doesn’t own a dog. This is in contrast to animal lover Paul, who lived on a farm and owned three dogs, including two rescued from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, where the show is filmed.

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Speaking to The Sun’s TV magazine, Alison said: “I was actually surprised with how much [stick] I got for doing the show. I could understand in the sense that Paul was so loved, but people were saying: ‘How can she do Love of Dogs when she doesn’t have a dog? How does she love does when she doesn’t have a dog?’ 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. 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. You’ll see for yourself. I think it’s authentic and I loved doing it.”

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