Yahoo News Alison Hammond issues one-word response as fan says 'shame on you' over For the Love of Dogs gig
Alison Hammond had a one-word response to a fan who hit back at those who 'judged' her taking on the presenting role on For the Love of Dogs before watching the show for themselves.
The This Morning star was chosen to continue the late entertainer and staunch animal lover Paul O'Grady's legacy he created at Battersea Cats and Dogs Home by fronting his much-loved ITV show.
Paul passed away 'unexpectedly but peacefully' aged 67 back in March 2023. Following his passing, Paul's last series hosting the show was aired and it was then revealed earlier this year that Alison would continue the show, in which she'll help the animals in their care look for a new place to live.
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Alison has since fronted two episodes of the new series on ITV. The most recent episode on Wednesday (April 24) saw the TV star meet Duchess the French Bulldog, who's struggling to breathe, and Dougal the Bichon Frisé after his much-needed haircut.
But it's fair to say that some viewers are still adjusting to the change of host due to Paul being synonymous with the show. Alison has said herself that she knows she will never be able to replace Paul, but was "excited" for the role. However, she has since said she was "surprised" by how much criticism she had received for doing the show.
And following the latest episode, many flocked to social media to share their support for Alison. One said: "All those people judging before it was even shown. Shame on you. It is about the dogs & I’m sure Paul would have loved his programme being carried on. Alison was brilliant."
The 49-year-old reshared the post on X, formerly known as Twitter, and simply said: "This". And following some claiming Alison had a 'bad habit' of saying 'Babs' quite often during the recording, another fan said: "@AlisonHammond I think you are doing an amazing job taking over from Paul and I know 100% he'd agree. And as for u saying 'Babs' , there's nothing wrong with it, it's a Term of Endearment, love it Babs!! Px," to which the start replied: "Love ya babs."
It comes after Alison said she "was actually surprised with how much" backlash she got after the announcement, highlighting one particular complaint she received that she described as “flawed”. The mum-of-one previously told The Sun’s TV Mag: "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?’ 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’.”
She continued: "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."
