Letterman apologises to Hilton for jokes

David Letterman has apologised to Paris Hilton on his US chat show for joking about her spell in jail last year.

Letterman upset the US socialite during an interview last September, when he refused to change the subject from her time behind bars.

Hilton had vowed she would never appear on the show again, but Letterman apparently sent the star flowers and letters and persuaded her to return for the promotion of her new film The Hottie & The Nottie.

Introducing Hilton on the show, Letterman said: "I made a fool of myself and I hurt the woman's feelings. I went too far.

"In 26 years of being on the air, I have offended thousands of people...but Paris, God bless her, has the backbone to come and be on the show."

After Letterman apologised, Hilton commented: "I hope you got the whole jail thing out of your system."

Later in the show, she added: "You're being really well behaved so far. You're not being naughty."