Lily Allen has responded to backlash following the revelation that she once rehomed an adopted dog.
During a recent interview for the Miss Me? podcast, the singer-songwriter recalled how she had returned a dog named Mary to a shelter after the pet "ate" all of her family's passports during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Amid the discussion, Lily emphasised Mary was a "very badly behaved dog" and she tried "very hard" to care for her.
But taking to Instagram Stories on Sunday, the British star issued a lengthy statement in which she clarified aspects of her story due to being the target of "death threats" after writers at tabloid newspapers accused her of "dumping my puppy".
"People have been furiously reacting to a deliberately distorted cobbling together of quotes designed to make people angry and as a result, I've received some really abhorrent messages including death threats, some of the most disgusting comments have been all over my social media channels, and I'm really not surprised because this is exactly what those articles are designed to do," she began. "I'm OK but it has been a really tough few days that has impacted me and my family."
Lily went on to describe how she rescued Mary from a shelter in New York City but the pet developed "pretty severe" separation anxiety and couldn't be left alone for more than 10 minutes. The Smile hitmaker sought advice from experts at the shelter and they referred her to a behavioural specialist and dog trainer.
"It was a volunteer from the shelter who would come and dog sit her when we were away, and after many months and much deliberation, everyone was in agreement that our home wasn't the best fit for Mary," the 39-year-old continued. "The person that she was rehomed with was known to us and that rehoming happened within 24 hours of her being returned. We couldn't meet Mary's needs and her happiness and welfare were central to us making that decision, as difficult as it was. I've had rescue dogs pretty consistently throughout my life since I was four years old, I'm pretty good at ascertaining a dog's needs, I have never been accused of mistreating an animal, and I've found this whole week very distressing."
To conclude, Lily urged followers to stop acting on "clickbait articles" and to listen to the interview in full before reacting.
"It is distortion, and all you are doing by engaging with these stories is making more money for people who profit from sewing division and tearing us all apart (sic)," she added.
