Reports have emerged claiming that Ellen DeGeneres gave a pet dog away to a member of her staff two years before her recent, and much publicised puppy scandal.

According Kerri Randles, the talk show host – who was blasted by the Mutts And Moms agency after handing over custody of the Brussels Griffon mix to her hairdresser  - gave her a pooch named Stormy with whom she also gave away,

She tells New York gossip column PageSix, "She may have had it for much less time than that. I only say two months because that's when I called to check on the dog and found out she no longer had it."

"She acted like she was keeping it for life. I was totally shocked. I thought she was out of her mind."