ALISON Hammond has broken her silence on calls for her to be axed from For The Love Of Dogs.
The presenter, 50, took over the reins on the ITV show following Paul O’Grady’s death in 2023.
However, the This Morning star has received a divided reception in the role.
Alison told The Guardian: “People say Pete Wicks would be better than me at presenting For the Love of Dogs.
“He might be but I’m doing it. Deal with it! I know my worth. Besides, my mum would have been so proud.
“That’s the reason I do this. She’s my guiding light.”
In addition, Alison also discussed a TikTok featuring a woman complaining about her joining Celebrity Gogglebox .
Alison said she is “good at saying no” and will turn down offers if she needs rest or it doesn’t appeal to her.
She added: “It looks like I’m on TV a lot, sure, but I stand out partly because it’s still not the norm to see a Black woman doing this.
“I don’t want to bring race into it but no one says that about Davina or Ant and Dec . I’ve worked hard for 22 years to get here.
“That woman on TikTok is allowed her opinion. It keeps me grounded.”
Alison added she that she is simply “doing a job that I adore to the best of my ability, trying to be better than I was yesterday.”
It comes as Alison was left shocked earlier this year when a cruel troll branded her “repulsive”.
She posted a funny video of her riding a tractor in a corn field on social media and captioned it: “Rolling into my holidays.”
But sadly, a comment from a 77-year-old who called himself Peter left her nearly speechless.
Peter’s comment said: “Any time we see you are on TV we switch channels as you turn our stomachs being so fat and repulsive with a huge mouth.”
Alison then obviously upset , retweeted his comment with a single word – “Wow”.
Sharing their support to the presenter, one fan commented: “Alison you know how special and fantastic you are.
Alison Hammond's rise to stardom
SHE graces our televisions every Friday, as she co-hosts This Morning with Dermot O'Leary.
But just how did Alison Hammond first find fame?
2002 – Alison competed in Big Brother, and was the second housemate to be evicted . She won over viewers with moments such as when she broke the table in the garden by jumping up and down on it.
It was this year that she also started presenting for This Morning in a guest capacity.
2003 – Alison had a small acting role on TV drama Doctors.
2004 – This was the year that Alison returned to reality television, starring in shows including Celebrity Fit Club and Celebrity Stars in their Eyes – for which she performed as Nina Simone.
2010 – After several years of presenting gigs and reality show appearances, Alison was signed up to appear on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! She came in 10th place.
2014 – This was a busy year for Alison as she competed on both Celebrity Masterchef and Strictly Come Dancing, coming in 10th in the latter.
2020 – Alison appeared on The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off – her first, but not last, time in the famous tent.
2021 – Alison co-hosted This Morning for three episodes alongside Phillip Schofield.
It was later announced that Alison and Dermot would be replacing Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford as presenters of This Morning on a Friday.
2023 – Alison was announced as the new co-host of The Great British Bake Off, replacing Matt Lucas to present alongside Noel Fielding.
2024 – Following the death of Paul O’Grady, Alison stepped in as host of For The Love of Dogs.
2025 – An eight-part series titled Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend will premiere on BBC one next year, as she spends 48 hours with a celebrity in a bid to really get to know them.
“One of life’s gems always wanting to make people smile and these disgusting people are not worth giving airtime too you keep being you xx love you bab.”
“I’d just laugh at them babe, you’re beautiful and they obviously are ugly on the inside”, wrote another.
Another added: “Extremely mean and rude. I love watching you, you bring a sparkle to Bake Off and look after the bakers when they are feeling a tad stressed and upset.
“Plus the fall off the counter was epic.”
