A spokesperson for Donal MacIntyre has spoken out amid claims that the investigative journalist and his wife Ameera are going through marriage difficulties. Ameera reportedly posted a Facebook status in which she suggested that her husband had been unfaithful.
Donal's Twitter account has since been deleted.
"We won't be making any further comment," a representative for the dad-of-three said. "It is of course a difficult time for the family and everyone close is giving the best support to both Donal and Ameera."
© Photo: RexAmeera and Donal MacIntyre have been married for nine years
The couple, who are both from Dublin, married nine years ago and have three children together – Allegra, who Donal adopted, another daughter Tiger-Lily and a son Hunter. Their little boy, who turns four next month, was a "miracle" baby after Ameera feared she was infertile, having suffered a brain tumour.
"It's unbelievable that we have him," Donal, 49, told HELLO! magazine. "For me it's a pleasure to get up in the middle of the night to do the nappy changing and bottle feeds. As you'd expect, I watch all the crime series on TV at the same time."
"What makes him even more special is that I was told I would never have him, that having another child would be impossible for me," said Ameera. "This little man proves that there's no such thing."
© Photo: RexDonal and Ameera have three children together, after welcoming their "miracle" baby boy in 2011
Because of the nature of Donal's job, in which he specialises in undercover operations and television exposés, the journalist and his family have had to move several times and have lived in high-security homes.
The final straw came in June 2009 when Donal and Ameera were attacked while having a quiet drink in their local wine bar. It was, they say, revenge for one of Donal's undercover investigations, which helped jail a violent football hooligan in 2000.
The assault led Donal and his family to move to a secret location – the seventh such move since Donal and Ameera married.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe couple have moved at least seven times because of the nature of the crime reporter's job
"It's put such a strain on us," Ameera told HELLO! while the couple were on holiday in Majorca. "I actually told Donal that enough is enough, we can't keep on moving. We have to put some roots down for our two girls. I feel so vulnerable and exhausted that I believe the only route left for us would be to move abroad."
Speaking about her husband, Ameera added: "He struggles to be romantic but he's getting better. When we arrived, he said, 'I'm going to really try on this holiday.' On the second night he wrote me a poem about how much he loves me and how great the children are."
"It was a heartfelt poem," said Donal. "I wanted to tell her how much I care. I take the slings and arrows of my job and am built for the stressful situations I've found myself in. But Ameera has taken a lot of the emotional burden and I recognise that."
