'Dancing On Ice' calms prisoners?

Dancing On Ice has a calming effect on prisoners, according to Donal MacIntyre.

The investigative reporter, 42, confirmed that he had been "inundated" with letters from prisoners about his appearance on the show.

"My old TV work used to be number one viewing at Her Majesty’s prisons and now Dancing On Ice is number one in prisons at seven o’clock on a Sunday," he told Digital Spy.

"I was told by one prison officer that it has a calming effect in some of Her Majesty’s most secure establishments.

"It is exclusively male prisoners. They are from local prisons in Surrey and a few high security places. Prisoners have left messages on my mobile and contacted me on Facebook. I've had around 50 letters.

"They leave messages like 'I hope you win, we love you!'. Previously they said, 'I'm innocent, get me out!'"

He added: "I was stopped by a guy in Guildford, who said 'We love your stuff Donal. I've just been let out after a five-year stretch. We really love Dancing On Ice. I loved your outfit for the Blues Brothers routine'."

MacIntyre also admitted that he was finding himself more nervous during the skate-offs on the show than when he was "dealing with prisons and gangsters".

The Dancing On Ice final airs on ITV1 on Sunday at 6:55pm.