Ricky Gervais has ruled himself out of replacing the late Paul O'Grady on ITV's For The Love Of Dogs reboot.
The comedian, 62, along with Amanda Holden and Martin Clunes, had been tipped as favourites for the teatime show’s reprisal following O'Grady's sudden passing in March.
Now, Gervais has put an end to the speculation after a fan asked him about it directly on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
“True or false, Gervais?” they asked alongside an image of him with a dog that read: “Ricky Gervais in the running for Paul O'Grady's For The Love Of Dogs remake.”
Resharing the post, he replied: "It’s true that I was asked but I said no, I’m afraid. Just too busy."
The news was a let-down for some fans, who were quick to voice their disappointment.
“Awwwww, would have been perfect,” penned one person.“This may be the most devastating tweet of all time,” declared another.
O’Grady’s award-winning For The Love Of Dogs first began in 2011 and ran for eleven series with the last airing posthumously.
The TV star, also known for his drag queen persona Lily Savage, sparked a national outpouring of grief following his death on March 28.
His husband Andre Portasio confirmed his passing on social media, writing that he had died “unexpectedly but peacefully”.
The Sun reported last week that a remake of For The Love of Dogs is in the works by ITV, with a source saying: “It’s a heart-warming series which raised the profile of the charity and ITV plans to continue making it in Paul’s memory.”
Filming for the new series is due to start in the new year.
