Amidst all of the tributes for Paul following his passing, there was also one burning question on everyone’s mind: who would replace him on For the Love of Dogs?
Many were rumoured to be in the running for the role, including animal lovers Ricky Gervais and Peter Egan. However, Paul’s replacement was announced just last week, and it’s not who anyone expected.
Fans displeased with new show host
Alison Hammond, who currently co-hosts on This Morning, announced she would be taking Paul’s place on the show and helping Battersea to get dogs into loving homes.
While many were happy a replacement had finally been found and that the show would soon return to their screens, others were not as thrilled. In fact, many people had an almost aggressive reaction to the announcement. Once news got out, fans of the show let loose on the internet:
"I definitely won't be watching she's too mouthy and going to spoil this show. They could’ve got somebody else. They're going to lose loads of viewers now. It's a shame because Paul was so caring and everybody loved him", said one user.
"I love the programme but can't stand her. Much too loud, she'll scare the dogs", said another.
Others even suggested alternative presenters for the role:
"How will Alison Hammond fit this in with her 4 jobs to date or is it box ticking after Ricky Gervais? There should only be one choice and that's Julian Cleary he loves dogs he's funny he would be great".
Hundreds of fans have since vowed never to watch the show again as long as Alison is presenting.
Hammond responds to backlash
Alison has responded to the backlash by releasing a statement:
We think it’s worth giving Alison a chance, after all, it’s the dogs that count right? What do you think of this new choice?