[Red Moon]

Mac is smacked on the bottom

DONAL McIntyre is feeling the ice burn — after a bruise on his bot forced him to compete in agony last night.

The investigative reporter is packing a giant purple welt on his bum after falling over in rehearsals for Dancing On Ice.

Donal, 43, is having the time of his life on the ITV1 show — but revealed he has had to avoid sitting down for a WEEK.

And he was forced to perform last night with a padded plaster stuck to his rear-end.

He said: “I’m in absolute agony, it’s really painful to sit down, I have to sort of lie down instead. I can barely touch it.

“I just keep falling over. One minute I’m standing up, the next minute I’m on my bottom.

“And it’s always in the same place. I can’t believe the colour of it — in a way I’m quite proud.”

Dancing On Ice stars are suffering so many falls that the show on set has been nicknamed Dancing On A***.

An insider said: “While the celebrities are getting better at skating, their routines are getting harder and longer.

“So there is still as much falling over as there was at the beginning.

“At this rate, we will have no contestants left for the final, it really is survival of the fittest.

“The only celebs getting away without injuries are Ray Quinn and Jessica Taylor.”

Appropriately, Donal skated last night to the Elton John classic I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues.

He joked: “I think they gave me that song because it’s the colour of my bottom.

“I’ve got a broom to skate with this week, so hopefully I’ll clean up and be back to fight another Sunday.

“I’m just relieved they didn’t give me the chair to dance around — with this bruise, I would never have pulled it off.”

Roxanne Pallett, 26, was forced last week to perform with burn bandages covering her back after searing her skin off while practising the headbanger.

And former Blue Peter presenter Zoe Salmon, 29, is still downing painkillers to cope with severely bruised ribs after a lift went wrong.

Our show insider added: “At least no one has broken their ankle — as Michael Underwood did last year.”

Before he started the series, Donal promised viewers he would get a tattoo of Olympic legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean if he got through the opening hurdle.

Perhaps you could get it now to cover that bruise, Donal?

Source: The Sun