‘I’ve tried!’ say groaning For The Love Of Dogs fans as they spot ‘obvious giveaway’ Alison Hammond is not right for job
Alison has previously faced accusations of being "scared" of dogs by a former This Morning guest
FOR The Love Of Dogs fans have taken an almighty swipe at show host Alison Hammond as they spot the ‘giveaway clue’ she’s not right for the role.
Fans were left underwhelmed and dismayed when the This Morning star was revealed to be taking over from Paul O’Grady on the popular ITV programme following his tragic passing.
The 49-year-old star has been forced to hit back at continued criticism after making her debut on the show.
Viewers have had their say week in, week out and while it appeared that the tide may be turning for Alison, many have been quick to call her out after noticing a “painfully obvious” giveaway that she shouldn’t have been hired for the job.
During the latest episode, Alison cut a nervous figure as she assisted in helping a dog, Giselle, as it underwent physiotherapy.
The dog had been having problems with its legs after being discovered abandoned and Alison was called on by Battersea to see if she could help out in its recovery.
She shunted around Giselle and kept her distance as she coyly muttered “good girl”.
However, viewers were quick to call our her apparent nervous disposition as they came to the same conclusion that the This Morning star was uneasy around dogs and animals.
They argued she appeared unrelaxed around the pups as she attempted to help them out.
Taking aim at the star, one said: “It’s so painfully obvious that Alison hasn’t had much to do with animals full stop, not just dogs. #ForTheLoveOfDogs.”
Another agreed, writing: “I’ve really tried but she doesn’t seem at all relaxed around the dogs and is never covered in fur and rarely sits on the floor and have her face licked like #PaulOGrady would.. #FLOD”
As someone else said: “Would it be fair to say Alison Hammond doesn’t even appear to like dogs?”
The fan comments come after The Sun revealed how Alison was “scared” of dogs when she was sent out to interview the owner of many disabled dogs, Claire-Louise, for a This Morning job years previously.
Claire-Louise — many of whose dogs are in nappies and use wheelchairs, and all of which are named after celebrities — said the star insisted on doing the interview outside as a result of her fear of animals.
The animal owner said: “It’s a shock.
“Alison was scared of dogs when she came to interview me so we had to do it outside.”
“I did ask her, ‘Why did you do this interview if you are scared of dogs?’.
“She replied, ‘I’ve got to pay my mortgage’.”
An ITV spokesman said: “The decision to film outside was made by the production team entirely independently of Alison purely on the basis that it was a more appropriate fit for the item and the show and any suggestion otherwise is inaccurate.”