Alison Hammond has responded to public backlash over her new presenting role on ITV docu-series For the Love of Dogs.
The This Morning presenter took over from the late Paul O'Grady as the host of the long-running series, shot at Battersea Dogs and Cats home, for it's twelfth season, which returns to screens tonight (April 16).
In an interview with The Sun's TV Mag, Alison shared her reaction to cruel comments about her new role online.
Related: Alison Hammond to front new BBC show
"I was actually surprised with how much I got for doing the show," she said. "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?'," she added.
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Alison called these remarks a "flawed argument" and had a strong message for these critics.
Related: Where to buy Alison Hammond's Bake Off outfits
"If you don't want to watch it, don't watch it," she continued. "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'."
"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," she said of the show. "Trolls are trolls, it says more about them than it does me, really. I would never troll anybody, even if I thought it, I wouldn't go online and put it down."
It marks the second time this year Alison has hit back at trolls, with the Bake Off presenter publicly responding to a post online she found herself tagged in last month. Alison took the opportunity to remind people to "#bekind always" in her response.
For the Love of Dogs returns for a new series on April 16 on ITV1 and ITVX.
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Emily is an experienced freelance entertainment writer and editor, reporting on all things TV, film, soaps and showbiz. An NCTJ-qualified journalist, with a First Class Honours degree in Journalism from the University of Sussex, Emily is a former Deputy News Editor and Evening News Editor at Digital Spy. She has previously worked at Hello magazine, BBC South News and GoodtoKnow.
A small and big-screen obsessive – with subscriptions to every TV and film service under the sun – Emily knows her movie stars from soap stars, and is always clued up on the latest reality show dumping, just-dropped trailer or off-screen spat. She's interviewed a number of celebrities over the years, with highlights including The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett and GMB's Kate Garraway (who "loved" her trousers).
Emily counts Sharon Horgan and Julia Davis as her TV heroes, and is a loyal Wes Anderson fan. LinkedIn
