Alison Hammond was ‘scared’ of disabled dogs during interview, claims rescuer after backlash against host
NEW For The Love Of Dogs host Alison Hammond insisted on an outdoor chat with a rescuer about her 27 disabled hounds — because she was “scared” of them.
Claire-Louise Nixon, who runs the Wheels to Paws charity, said she asked Alison why she went ahead with the talk for This Morning — and was told: “I’ve got to pay the mortgage.”
She spoke out after Alison, 49, faced a fans’ backlash last month when she stepped into the late Paul O’Grady’s shoes to present ITV’s For The Love Of Dogs.
Claire-Louise — many of whose dogs are in nappies and use wheelchairs, and all of which are named after celebrities — said: “It’s a shock.
“Alison was scared of dogs when she came to interview me so we had to do it outside.”
During the chat, Alison nervously petted a mutt with a limp named Elvis Presley, saying: “He has taken a bit of a shine to me.”
Sat on Claire-Louise’s lap during the interview was a terrier with two sets of teeth named after Rylan Clark, who is renowned for his white veneers.
She said: “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’.”
Alison, who has never owned a dog, was chatting to Claire-Louise at her home in Milton Keynes, Bucks, for a This Morning feature in 2019, titled: “The incredible woman who rescued 27 dogs.”
Her fear of dogs stems from seeing an attack on a lad she mentions in her 2021 autobiography, You’ve Got To Laugh.
She wrote: “The dog took a massive chunk out of his leg and blood poured everywhere.
“I had to help him hobble back to his mum, screaming in pain.
“For weeks afterwards, the kids on our street never stopped talking about savage dogs and gushing wounds.”