Winnie the Pooh was named after a GIRL and fans are struggling to cope

WINNIE the Pooh fans have discovered the famous bear is actually a GIRL - and they're struggling to cope.

We all read about the honey-loving bear during our childhoods - and remember him as a very British boy - and he's currently enjoying a new audience with the live action film Christopher Robin.

But a picture book called , recently revealed the real-life inspiration behind the clumsy book character.

And it turns out Pooh is named after a black bear from London Zoo - a Canadian and very female animal called Winnipeg.

The book is written by Lindsay Mattick, the granddaughter of the man who brought Winnie all the way from White River, Ontario, home to England.

Lieutenant Harry Colebourn bought the bear for £15 during the First World War.

They were said to be inseparable, with Winnie becoming something of a regiment mascot.

But the soldier was forced to leave his beloved pet at London Zoo when his unit were posted in France - where it would have been very dangerous for a bear.

Happily, Winnie soon made a new best friend - a boy, called Christopher Robin - who visited the zoo regularly to check up on his favourite bear.

Christopher, whose dad was legendary author AA Milne, went on to name his teddy bear after Winnie - and the rest is history.

Lindsay wrote Finding Winnie, with the help of illustrator Sophie Blackall, to show the world how loved Winnipeg the bear truly was.

The famous bear now has statues in both London and her native Winnipeg.

In related news, this is the unexpected true story of author AA Milne - who hated children, cheated on his wife and fell out with the son who inspired his famous book.

While Primark is currently selling Pooh bedding and babywear - and fans are desperate to get their paws on them.

And any mention of the famous character has been BANNED by Chinese censors - over memes comparing the "bear of very little brain" to president Xi Jinping.

Finding Winnie costs £8.30, and is available on Amazon.