Kim Woodburn's agonising health battles revealed - as How Clean Is Your Home and CBB legend dies

Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

TV icon Kim Woodburn has died aged 83 following a short illness.
The How Clean is Your House? and Celebrity Big Brother star passed away on Tuesday, her management announced in a statement today — but did not confirm her cause of death.
'It is with immense sadness that we let you know our beloved Kim Woodburn passed away yesterday following a short illness,' her representative confirmed to MailOnline.
'Kim was an incredibly kind, caring, charismatic and strong person. Her husband Peter is heartbroken at the loss of his soulmate.'
Known as the 'Queen of Clean', Kim went on to become a household name on ITV chat shows This Morning and Loose Women and also starred in a number of reality TV shows including a stint on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!.
But the beloved star was no stranger to health struggles, having lived a life peppered with illnesses which she candidly discussed.
In March, she sparked worry among fans after announcing she would not be working for the foreseeable future 'due to a health problem'.
She suffered major health scares during her professional career, one of which left her requiring major surgery.
Vision issues
Earlier this year in February, Kim's management revealed that she would be taking time off work until March 7 while she recovered from an eye operation.
But in a further update in March, her management announced she would still be out of action in the coming weeks.
She had long been open about problems she suffered with her vision, admitting in an interview with The Mirror in 2016 that she was 'virtually blind' in her right eye.
She said: 'I was born with no sight in one eye and limited sight in the other, but to be honest, I didn't really know I had a problem for a long time.
'I left home when I was 17 and when I was 19, I got a job in a factory and had to own up about my poor vision.
'My job was to assemble Meccano toys by using a drill and putting small wheels on them—I was constantly cutting my fingers as I worked.
'It was then that I got my sight tested and discovered I was virtually blind in my right eye and was short-sighted in my left. Not knowing any different, I couldn't compare my sight to others so I just got on with using glasses when I had to.
'Now occasionally, when I am very tired, my eye wanders from left to right so I look cockeyed, but that doesn't happen very often.
She added: 'I also never learned how to drive, partly because my eyes were so dodgy. I had a lot of lessons but in the end I gave up.
'Of course, like everyone, I go for regular check-ups.
'A few years ago, I developed a cataract in the poor eye but specialists said it isn't worth taking out. They also said it wasn't worth operating on my good eye in case it made things worse.
'I now count my blessings that I had these vision problems from birth because you don't miss what you've never had. But you are nothing without your health.'
Speaking to GB News hours later from her home in Cheshire, Kim said she'd be in for surgery which required medics needing to have her throat cut
Neck surgery
In 2022, concerns were again raised about Kim's health after after the then-80-year-old shared a picture from a hospital bed looking frail, wearing a nasal cannula and a bedpan on her head.
But speaking to GB News hours later from her home in Cheshire, Kim said she'd be in for surgery which required medics needing to have her throat cut.
She told the programme: 'I had a very bad disc in the back of my neck and it was affecting my hands, so I haven't been able to use them.
'So, I went to the hospital on Wednesday, and the doctor cut my throat with a big gash in my neck, he took out the disc in this hole in my neck and put a titanium disc in. How he did it I don't know.
'They sent me home and I'm as fit as a fiddle.
'I've got about four or five weeks to rest but I've got this big cut-throat. Mind you, it's not stopped me talking.'
Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery is a procedure that relieves pain caused by pinched nerves in the neck.
According to the NHS, surgery is done through the front of the neck to access the disc causing pressure on the verve, usually on the right hand side where medics cut one small muscle.
Once the disc is removed, it is replaced with a metal or synthetic implant to help keep the vertebrae together.
Underactive thyroid
In the same interview with The Mirror in 2016, Kim also revealed she suffered an underactive thyroid.
She said: 'Some things do run in our family, and an underactive thyroid is one of them. I was diagnosed 20 years ago. I noticed I was getting very tired and hot.
'I would be walking around in winter without a coat on because I felt like I was burning up.
'I've been taking medication since then and, touch wood, everything's been fine.'
At least one in 20 people in the UK has a disorder of the thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland that sits just in front of the voice box.
The thyroid produces two key hormones—triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4)—which help regulate key body functions, including heart rate, temperature and mood.
Hypothyroidism or an underactive thyroud, where the gland produces too few hormones, can lead to weight gain, fatigue, feeling the cold, constipation and dry skin and hair.
Women are ten times more likely to be affected than men, although it's not clear why.
The most common trigger for both thyroid problems is an auto-immune condition, where the body mistakenly attacks the thyroid tissues.
An underactive thyroid has also been linked to several health concerns, including heart disease and diabetes.