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Don’t mess with Kim Woodburn! – How many times has she left the nation in shock

Not many people can claim to have fallen out with the nation’s favourite silver fox, Phillip Schofield, but cleaner-turned-reality TV star Kim Woodburn managed to do just that during a recent tense interview with Holly and Phil on This Morning.

The latest in a string of bizarre verbal attacks, this isn’t the first time her biting comments have hit the headlines. Removed from the Celebrity Big Brother house by security following explosive rows with her housemates – in which she infamously branded her fellow celebs “chicken-livered s***s” – the fiery 74-year-old has divided more opinions than Marmite.

Whether you love her or hate her, we can all agree that Kim Woodburn is a VIP in her own right – a Very Irritating Pensioner, that is.

Photo by Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock

So who is Kim Woodburn? And why is she such a controversial figure?

Born in 1942, Patricia Mary McKenzie shot to fame as a TV presenter under stage name Kim Woodburn. You may remember Channel 4 trash telly treat ‘How Clean Is Your House?’ hitting our screens back in 2003. The show was of course presented by dream team cleaning duo Kim and Aggie. Yes, Kim Woodburn is THAT Kim from Kim and Aggie. When the show aired, Kim was the highest paid female presenter on Channel 4. She certainly cleaned up there!

Sadly, Kim and Aggie have since come to blows and no longer speak – cue tragic violin. We’d have killed to be a fly on the wall of that sparkling, Domestos-soaked house…

No stranger to reality TV, Kim has since appeared in episodes of Celebrity Come Dine With Me, Celebrity 100% Hotter, A Place In The Sun and The Chase. But her time to shine came in 2009, when she flew to Oz to enter the jungle on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

The British public backed the queen of clean, who proved she wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty when she chomped down kangaroo testicles that even Katie Price couldn’t swallow in one particularly memorable bushtucker trial. Finishing runner up, Kim lost the jungle crown to Italian TV chef Gino D’Campo. We knew then that she was made of tough stuff.

A step too far?

But it was her stint in the 2017 Celebrity Big Brother House that really got tongues wagging. Coming in late meant the feisty presenter was immediately put on the back foot as the new arrival and psychological outsider in the house, but her hot-headed habits didn’t help her to make friends. In particular, Kim clashed with fellow housemate and ex-glamour model Nicola McLean in a series of volatile feuds. It’s safe to say the yellow rubber gloves were off!

While her housemates hated her confrontational nature, the general public were divided and her regular rows saw CBB ratings rocket, almost doubling in viewing figures. Twitter users had plenty to say about her, with some disgusted by Kim’s bizarre outbursts:

Didn’t take long for Kim to rear her ugly head again did it😳 #cbb

— beckie (@beckbeckmack) February 1, 2017

Kim is fucking mental. She just can’t leave it be can she? #CBB

— ♡ (@njhsneverland) February 1, 2017

Kim’s got the foulest mouth in that house, she has a cheek to tell anyone to grow up and act their age 😂 what a boot #cbb

— Beth Xx (@beth_emilyy_) February 1, 2017

Others, however, found her ruthless retorts highly entertaining, citing her “TV gold” and begging producers to give her more air time:

This time I’m actually with Kim. Definitely felt that Nicola started that one #cbb

— jackie (@supajack) February 1, 2017

My only consolation is that the wonderful Kim Woodburn beat Nicola McClean and Bianca. So glad they were in the bottom two ! hee hee #cbb

— Summergirl (@glittergirl8888) February 4, 2017

Can’t believe #ColleenNolan won #cbb she did nothing in the house but smoke and moan. Terrible winner. Should of been #kim or @planetjedward

— CARRIE 💁🏻 (@cazprincesspink) February 4, 2017

Despite her brutal slams, the blonde-bunned star made it all the way to the final, finishing in a respectable third place and leaving the house to a mixture of boos and cheers. The public reaction has been so strong that reports suggest Kim is in talks with producers to have her own Jeremy Kyle-style TV chat show. In her own words, she “couldn’t give a toss” what anyone thinks of her, so it could be worth a watch.

The Celeb Big Brother housemates found her a nightmare to live with, but it may surprise you to know that she’s been married to husband Peter Woodburn since 1979, so surely she can’t be that bad? Whether she means to or not, the tangoed TV diva certainly has a knack for ruffling feathers.

In her 2006 autobiography, ‘Unbeaten: The Story of My Brutal Childhood’, Kim revealed the truth of her difficult upbringing, neglected and beaten as a child. She also discussed the hard-hitting grief of losing her new-born, premature baby when she was just 23 years old. Perhaps it is these tragic events that have shaped her into the stern, no-nonsense woman she is today. All we know for sure is that Kim Woodburn is not a lady to be messed with.

Most recently announcing her plans to pen a ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ style naughty novel, the plucky pensioner is showing no signs of slowing down. Her notorious potty mouth may occasionally land her in hot water, but fans deem her brutal honesty part of her charm.

But what do you think? Is Kim Woodburn comedy gold, or Cillit Bang out of order?