She was thrilled when it was announced last year that she would be stepping into the late Paul O’Grady’s shoes as presenter of For The Love Of Dogs.
But it seems Alison Hammond is struggling to build the bond her predecessor had with the ITV show’s four-legged friends. The crew members say she is afraid of big dogs.
Mrs Hammond, 49, has never owned a dog before, and although she apparently loves meeting smaller breeds while filming for the program at London’s Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, larger breeds would scare her.
One source said: ‘The show is only in very early pre-production and Alison is great but she finds the bigger dogs scary.
‘She loves to cuddle with the little cute one, but when you meet a huge one it’s a different story. But unless you’re used to dealing with dogs, it’s intimidating.”
Alison Hammond with her This Morning co-host Dermot O’Leary. A crew member from For The Love of Dogs claims Ms Hammond is afraid of the bigger dogs on the programme
Alison Hammond with staff and dogs at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. Mrs Hammond has never owned a dog, and although she apparently loves meeting smaller breeds while filming for the program at London’s Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, larger breeds would scare her.
Paul O’Grady was the host of For the Love of Dogs from 2012 until his death in 2023. Social media was awash with criticism over the decision to hire Ms Hammond as a replacement for dog lover Mr O’Grady due to concerns about her lack of experience with dogs
Show insiders say her fears stem from a devastating childhood memory of witnessing a ‘savage’ dog attack on a neighbor in Birmingham.
In her 2021 autobiography You’ve Got To Laugh, the This Morning presenter revealed: ‘I saw it all happen – the dog took a huge chunk out of his leg and blood was pouring everywhere. I had to help him stagger back to his mother, screaming in pain, and for weeks afterwards the children in our street kept talking about wild dogs and gushing wounds.’
Social media was awash with criticism over the decision to hire Ms Hammond as a replacement for dog lover Mr O’Grady, who presented the show from 2012 until shortly before his death last March.
Concerns about her questionable suitability due to her lack of experience with dogs prompted her to respond on social media last month. She said of taking on the role: “It’s a huge responsibility. And that’s what I want to do on the show, because I want to know more about dogs, and I’ve always wanted a dog. You know that. But I’ve always wanted a dog.
“But you have to take it very, very seriously, don’t you?”
Ms Hammond, who made her career breakthrough as a contestant on the 2002 series of Big Brother, has become one of the most sought-after women on television after spending more than 15 years as a showbusiness reporter on This Morning.
After becoming a presenter alongside Dermot O’Leary on Friday, she was hired by Channel 4 to host The Great British Bake Off, a decision that is said to have angered ITV bosses keen to keep her exclusive to their channels.
The next series of For The Love Of Dogs will be broadcast later this year.