Gemma Atkinson has slammed claims she and her family are 'cruel' over the breed of one of their dogs. The 37-year-old, from Bury, has two beloved dogs, Ollie and Norman, who regularly feature on her Instagram page and helped in announcing Gemma's pregnancy back in 2019.
But over the weekend, Gemma took to Instagram to share a video of her sister's dog. The cute, tan-coloured pup was clearly enjoying the fuss the Hits Radio host was heaping on to him as she joked: "My sister's dog Rocco is actually a pig," referring to the snorting sounds he was making.
However, Gemma was quick to respond to a message she had privately been sent which asked: "Don't you feel bad for the bulldog breeds with their squashed noses!!" Sharing a screengrab of the message on her Instagram Story, the mum-of-one replied: "Yeh! I always do. Especially in the summer heat."
She went on: "Rocco gets about fine and actually runs around like crazy! [crying laughing emoji]. But I know some bulldogs that can't... It takes a very, very responsible dog owner to have any sort of bull breeds. Their breathing and skin need monitoring more so than other breeds. (Sometimes their skin rolls can chaff).
"Thankfully, my sister is used to it after 14 years with a Sharpei so she's constantly on the ball with Rocco, but I ALWAYS tell ppl to research breeds properly before getting a dog."
Gemma was praised for her response, with one fan branded the first message as 'judgemental'. But the former Emmerdale and Hollyoaks star replied with a string of red hearts before typing: "Thank you, I've been told this morning I'm cruel for having a dog in the family that 'clearly can't breathe'.
"They have no idea and probably don't even have a dog themselves anyway! He's a happy healthy boy and the only issue he's recently had is a food allergy. People are absolutely very quick to judge, especially when they can hide behind a screen."
But Gemma was then riled by another message who suggested her sister's pet was in 'distress'. "Distress??? Are you ok?" she replied. Back in May, Gemma spent a day teaching her daughter about a rescue centre close to her heart. Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary is a place Gemma visited regularly growing up.
And now with a public profile having starred in Emmerdale and Hollyoaks to name but a few, the former soap star has continued to show her support for the Bury-based animal sanctuary and is the charity's president. At the time Gemma and daughter Mia, three, had headed down to Bleakholt which isn't home to just dogs but also cats to horses and farm animals.
Sharing a video to her Instagram Story, the mum-of-one wrote: "Brought Mia up to @bleakholt_animal_sanctuary today to drop off some food off." The video featured Gemma, dressed in a white hoodie with a dark pair of shared, and Mia, in a fluffy hooded jumper, outside. Just as it begins you can hear the toddler saying: "We're at Bleakholt," before Gemma adds: "There's lots of animals here that need looking after."
She then asked her little girl: "Have you seen any that you like?" to which she replies: "Yeah," before pointing with Gemma pulling an emotional face as she said: "The doggy ones!" Gemma said: "That's why you always have to be nice to animals isn't it?" before adding: "Yeah? Be nice to them." Mia then asked her mum what else was there and as her mum reeled them off, Mia replied: "I want to see some cats."
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