Paul O'Grady's comments about Alison Hammond ahead of For the Love of Dogs debut

Alison Hammond will make her debut as the new host of For the Love of Dogs tonight. It is the first time the hugely popular ITV programme, set at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in London, will air without Paul O'Grady after his death aged 67 in March last year.

He had been the face of For the Love of Dogs since its inception in 2012 and was a dedicated ambassador for the charity, known for his "extremely hands-on approach". The announcement that Alison would take over hosting duties was made during an episode of This Morning in February, which she also hosts.

On the show, Alison revealed that she had received "the sweetest message" from Paul's pal Julian Clary, 64. Alison shared: "Yeah so [Julian] text me yesterday and he just said ... well firstly he told me he was in the Maldives - I was a little bit jealous! And he just said 'I'm so happy that you've got the job. Paul actually thought a lot of you Alison, thought very highly of you, and he would be so happy as am I'.", reports the Mirror.

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Alison remarked emotionally: "I just like ... it really got me. I'm so so happy. I just want to make him proud in his legacy at Battersea and I just wanna carry on that work because the charity does so much good work and we just wanna find some amazing homes for some wonderful dogs."

Since its inception in 2012, For the Love of Dogs has been a heartwarming fixture on our screens, with Paul O'Grady at the helm for over ten series. Following Paul's passing last year, the show aired its most recent series, leaving viewers touched by his dedication to the animals.

Now, Alison is set to take the lead in the upcoming series, which is scheduled to premiere on Tuesday evening. The new series promises to tug at the heartstrings, as teased in the synopsis: "With more abandoned and stray dogs in need of care than ever, [it] will tell the stories of some of the latest arrivals at Battersea as Alison rolls up her sleeves and helps [the] expert staff and volunteers take care of the animals."

Ahead of this week's launch, ITV has shared their excitement, saying: "There will be dog treats galore and tails wagging all round as Alison sets out to make some new furry friends and help get them all ready for potential new forever homes."

Catch the return of For the Love of Dogs on ITV and ITVX tonight at 8pm, where you can also stream previous episodes featuring the late Paul O'Grady.