Alison Hammond smiling on a red carpet with Paul O'Grady
TV

Everything Alison Hammond has said about For the Love of Dogs as return date confirmed – from vow over Paul O’Grady to clapback at trolls

Alison is the brand new host

| Updated:

The For the Love of Dogs return date has been confirmed with Alison Hammond at the helm – and fans don’t have to wait long!

The much-loved show premiered way back in 2012 – with the late Paul O’Grady hosting. But following his death last March, there was much speculation about who could replace him. A number of names were thrown into the mix to replace Paul O’Grady from Martin Clunes to Amanda Holden to be the new host. But Brummie favourite Alison has become the brand new host.

And fans of the show don’t have to wait long for the new series either! For the Love of Dogs will kick off next Tuesday (April 16) at 8pm with weekly episodes to follow.

But what has new host Alison said about the show? And which one of Paul’s good pals sent her an emotional message? Keep reading to find out!

For the Love of dogs star Alison hammond on This Morning talking
Alison’s For the Love of Dogs debut kicks off next week (Credit: ITV)

Alison Hammond’s ‘vow’ over For the Love of Dogs

In February, while hosting This Morning alongside Dermot O’Leary, he congratulated her over the new job.

After thanking Dermot for congratulating her, he stated that he was going to get Alison a dog. Admitting that it’s a “massive responsibility” to host the show, the former Big Brother contestant stated she wanted to take the job to learn more about dogs.

I just want to carry on that work.

“I’ve always wanted a dog but you have to take it very very seriously,” she said. Alison also made a vow and added: “I just want to carry on that work because the charity does so much good work.”

Paul O'Grady smiling outside
The TV star said it’s a massive responsibility to host the show (Credit: SplashNews.com)

Alison Hammond received emotional message from Paul’s friend

During the same This Morning show, Alison revealed that Paul’s good friend Julian Clary had dropped her message following the news.

Paul and Julian go way back and enjoyed a long friendship. And with both comedians being ground-breaking and revolutionary in what they do, it’s no surprise they got on like a house on fire.

On This Morning, Alison shared: “He [Julian] text me yesterday and he just said… Firstly he told me he was in The Maldives, I was a little bit jealous…

“And he said, ‘I’m so happy you’ve got the job and Paul actually thought a lot of you, Alison. Thought very highly of you, and he will be so happy, as am I.’ And it really got me.”

When Alison became new host, it sparked a mixed reaction among fans. Some appeared thrilled for her while others believe Alison the wrong choice to host.

We all know he can never be replaced

But Alison was quick to make it clear she could “never replace” the much-loved original presenter. And she highlighted once again how central Paul had been to For the Love of Dogs. Prioritising the work of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in her post, Alison deftly countered objections to her casting.

Paul O'Grady strokes a dog on For the Love of Dogs
Paul hosted the show from the start (Credit: ITV)

She wrote in the caption to an image of her holding a pup: “I’m thrilled to be joining team @battersea and helping dogs find special homes and continuing @paulogrady work.

“We all know he can never be replaced. But we need to continue his work so that @battersea can continue to thrive and give forever homes to lots of deserving dogs. This programme has really helped the charity and I for one take that very seriously.”

JOIN ED!’s ANT AND DEC NEWS CHANNEL ON WHATSAPP – IN THESE 4 SIMPLE STEPS USING THE INVITE LINK HERE

Join Ed's Ant and Dec Whatsapp channel

Read more: This Morning viewers call for Dermot O’Leary to host For The Love Of Dogs

YouTube video player

So what do you think of this story? You can leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.


Joey Crutchley
Freelance Writer