MacIntyre responds to 'Ice' criticism

Donal MacIntyre has insisted that his journalistic credibility is not being undermined by his stint on Dancing On Ice.

The reporter, who rose to prominence with his BBC One series MacIntyre Undercover in 1999, admitted that he is baffled by criticism of his decision to sign up for the show.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, MacIntyre explained: "I can't imagine why anyone would think that learning from Torvill and Dean, two of the greatest cultural icons in the world, would be in any way demeaning."

Asked what attracted him to the ITV1 skating competition, he replied: "I was shanghaied into this by my wife and two daughters. There is no, 'Bring your Daughters to Work Day' when your job is exposing criminals, so I was very keen to do a show where my girls could actually see Daddy at work."

MacIntyre narrowly escaped being eliminated from the programme in the first round, which saw him competing against Graeme Le Saux in the skate-off. He has now made it through to week four of the competition after picking up public support.