“It was the kind of actions that he wanted to do against me and mum, which got really personal and they weren’t nice to read at all. I was kind of terrified… shaking.

“I think my heart was beating really fast. I didn’t sleep all night. The entirety of the next day I was in floods of tears.”

In the programme, Minchin also spoke with the National Stalking Helpline, which received over 14,000 calls in 2021 – more than ever before.

“We had more than 50% increase in contact during the pandemic and those rates have continued to rise,” an NSH spokesperson said.

Following the documentary, many took to social media to share their thoughts on The Truth About Stalking and the severity of it in the UK.

“A brave and informative piece on @ITVTonight, @louiseminchin; ‘The truth about stalking’,” commented one user. “I’ve seen a few documentaries on the impact of stalking recently, but the investigation into the number of offences, and severity of them shocked me. A gripping watch.”

Louise Minchin tells of ‘terrifying’ stalking ordeal in last night’s ITV Tonight documentary