Lily Allen is once again facing criticism for a comment she made, and this time the singer says people are taking things too far. In an episode of her podcast last week, Allen chatted with guest Steve Jones, a Welsh TV presenter, about her family’s plans to adopt a dog. Jones asked if they were ready for such a big commitment, and Allen revealed that they had adopted a dog before – “but then he ate my passport, so I put her back in the shelter.” She explained, according to Peoplethat the dog had eaten not only her passport but also her children’s passports and all three visas that were contained within them. She said it had been an expensive “logistical nightmare” to get them replaced as the whole debacle took place during the COVID pandemic and her daughters had been unable to see their father, who lives in England, for months.
The outrage was widespread: As NBC News reports, Allen revealed on her Instagram stories on Sunday that she has received death threats and other “vile” and “disgusting” messages since the story was published. She said most articles about the dog’s situation failed to point out that, as she explained on the podcast, the former family pet “was a very badly behaved dog and I tried really hard, but it just didn’t work out.” She went on to explain that the dog had developed “pretty severe separation anxiety” and couldn’t be left alone for more than 10 minutes, and that it was only after months of working with a behavior specialist that all parties agreed that the dog should get a new home. She ended up with someone Allen knew within 24 hours of returning to the shelter, Allen added. (More stories from Lily Allen.)
