Kim Woodburn's furious swipe at Aggie MacKenzie over 'haunting' remark after row

Edinburgh Live

19-06-2025

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Kim Woodburn and Aggie MacKenzie became household names as the unstoppable cleaning duo on Channel 4's How Clean Is Your House?, a ratings hit that aired from 2003 to 2009 in the UK.
In the show, they visited some of Britain's grimiest abodes, bringing tough love, cleaning expertise, and sparkling makeovers. Their on-screen dynamic, marked by contrasting personalities and straight-shooting advice, made them both entertaining and curiously likeable.
However, unbeknownst to fans, a deep rift was forming between the two TV personalities behind the scenes.
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Despite their fame as the formidable grime-fighting team on How Clean Is Your House? , Kim and Aggie weren't exactly close friends when the cameras stopped rolling. While their on-screen chemistry – Kim's fiery nature paired with Aggie's measured, scientific approach – was vital to the show's success, tensions bubbled beneath the surface, reports the Mirror.
Over time, Kim has candidly expressed their lack of personal connection, stating bluntly that they "never got on" and that their working relationship was purely professional.
Aggie, 69, has taken a more reserved stance, acknowledging, however, that their relationship wasn't exactly warm. She once hinted that the pair held "very different values" and approached life from distinct angles, contributing to their distance.
Since the programme concluded in 2009, they haven't worked together again, and public spats have only reinforced the notion that their on-screen clean-up act didn't translate to patching up personal differences. Despite the tense dynamic, their contrasting personalities contributed to the show's success, with viewers as captivated by the disorder and honesty as they were by the cleaning.
Following the announcement of Kim's passing at the age of 83 on Monday, Aggie has shed light on the cause of their devastating rift, confessing that it was Kim's inability to manage her temper that proved to be the last straw for her. Speaking to The Mirror, Aggie, who now enjoys a successful career as a yoga teacher in North London, recounted the incident that terminated their somewhat amicable professional relationship.
Aggie reveals that she and Kim barely exchanged any words and 'never really spoke again' after a major disagreement in January 2008. She recalls that they were performing together as the Ugly Sisters in a pantomime production of Cinderella in Brighton when tensions flared.
Recounting the distressing and triggering event, Aggie says they were waiting off-stage for their cue, but Kim didn't move when it was time to go on. Aggie then nudged Kim on the shoulder, went out, and led her off the stage once their scene had finished.
That's when things spiralled out of control.
"Kim missed her cue so I tapped her on the shoulder. We went on and did our scene, but when we came out at the other side, Kim was furious. She pushed me. She actually pushed me so hard that I fell over," Aggie alleges. "I lost it then. I really really lost it with her. I was so furious because I wasn't expecting to be pushed over like that."
Aggie then described the tense aftermath of their unexpected altercation as the Pantomime performance descended into disarray. "The whole thing kind of blew up then. She went off to her dressing room and she was crying her eyes out. She was really upset and I was really upset – I was so furious."
While Kim and Aggie took a moment apart to compose themselves during the interval, Aggie recounts that the production team was frantically trying to keep the show on track. With the audience waiting, they prepared a lead dancer to step in for Kim's role, as she declared she wouldn't return to the stage or come close to Aggie.
"The lead dancer was being made up to take her part because she was refusing to go back on stage, and this was an audience of hundreds of people. It was really a huge problem and the interval had to be extended by quite a bit. But in the end, Kim burst out of her dressing room and announced 'I'm going back out there'.
"It was awful. She came on and it was so obvious that she had been crying. I knew there were people in the audience thinking to themselves 'what the f**k is going on here'. It was mental. And after all that, I was just done. It felt like she had kind of crushed me. The disrespect was so much and I knew that I couldn't actually continue being civil anymore without an apology."
When probed about whether Kim ever offered her an apology, Aggie responded with laughter. "No, no, no, no. I don't think that Kim knew how to apologise to anyone," she said.
"She was a very complex person. Essentially, she probably had no confidence, she probably deep down hated herself, and so in order to survive she had to put on a big front to keep herself protected and to keep people away. If she apologised to me, that would be showing weakness in her eyes. So no, I never got an apology from her."
(Image: Channel 4)
(Image: Liverpool Echo)
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
The world learnt of Kim's passing on Tuesday, June 17, when her representatives revealed that she succumbed to a brief illness. A spokesperson for Kim memorialised her with the words: "It is with immense sadness that we let you know our beloved Kim Woodburn passed away yesterday following a short illness.
"Kim was an incredibly kind, caring, charismatic and strong person. Her husband Peter is heartbroken at the loss of his soulmate. We are so proud of the amazing things Kim achieved in her life and career. We kindly ask that Kim's husband and close friends are given the time and privacy they need to grieve. We will not be releasing any further details."
Aggie Mackenzie, like many across the country, was taken aback upon learning of Kim's unexpected passing. "I was really surprised. I was so shocked, because I didn't know that she had been ill. I know that it was a short illness but I don't know how long it went on for. It felt so out of the blue. But I suppose the day was going to come at some point, unless I died first."
Reflecting on the last time they communicated, Aggie confessed it might have been over 15 years since their chat following the wrap of How Clean Is Your House. Despite not meeting again in person, Kim made frequent appearances in Aggie's subconsciousness, evoking thoughts of mending their friendship.
"I have no memory of the last time I spoke to Kim. It was years and years ago. But I did used to dream about Kim a lot, but I never actually saw her in real life again. The dreams were mostly about us making up and being friendly again. They were kind of telling me that life is short and it made me wonder if we should just be nice to one another."
Aggie reflected on her past relationship with Kim, revealing a complex dynamic. "But I never reached out after them, even though a part of me did want to reconcile. I never wanted not to be her friend, but she didn't really do friendships actually. She was a very untrusting person and she was very suspicious of everyone and she was never able to let her guard down, so it was extremely difficult to try and get close to her. I think she always felt as though people were going to turn on her or do her over, so it was hard to get through those walls," she recalled.
Despite experiencing recurring dreams about Kim and the fact that Kim has now passed away, Aggie confessed she harbours no regrets about not making contact with her former co-star again. "I don't have any regrets about not reaching out to Kim."
Aggie also offered a glimpse into Kim's personal life, particularly her marriage to Peter Woodburn, her husband of 46 years. Upon hearing of Kim's passing, Aggie expressed her sympathy for Peter.
"I feel so sorry for him," she said. "I feel like he is really going to be lost without her. I feel sad for Peter.
"Kim was always very sweet to Peter. They were together for decades and they seemed to be very dedicated to one another. She never ever dissed him to me and in the rare times that she would let her guard down, she would never say a bad word about Peter. She was never unkind about him. There was a lot of love there and I know that he really did love her," Aggie shared.
Paying tribute to Kim following her passing on Tuesday, Aggie shared with The Mirror: "Kim was a tormented soul, but now she's finally at peace. We clashed often. Behind the fierce persona was deep pain and incredible strength. She survived because she had to. I hope she's resting now. She was an unforgettable woman."