Comedian Patrick Kielty has apologised for joking about missing child Madeleine McCann in his stand-up performances.

The former Love Island and Fame Academy presenter made gags about the four-year-old during a show in Dublin on Wednesday. Some fans objected to his comments and decided to walk out.

At one point, Kielty said that Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry, who are official suspects in the case, should have disposed of the body of their daughter by checking her in as luggage on a Ryanair flight. He also asked the audience to vote on whether the couple are guilty or innocent.

A spokeswoman for Kielty offered the comedian's apologies to those who were offended.

However, she insisted: "The small number of walkouts reflects the sensitivity of those few people, rather than the content of the show. Patrick is a comedian and the material was written to reflect the media's changing attitude towards the case and should be taken in that context."

Kielty's spokeswoman added that the same jokes had been made during a performance in London last week, and no complaints were received.