Who is Karen Danczuk? Ex-wife of MP Simon who stood by him after rape allegations and victim of childhood sexual abuse
KAREN Danczuk was the MP’s wife who became famous due to the very revealing selfies she shared on social media.
She was married to Labour MP Simon for three years, and has spoken out about the childhood sexual abuse she suffered. Here's her story...
Who is Karen Danczuk? What's her background?
Karen was born Karen Burke in May 1983 in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
She is the youngest of five children, growing up in the town where her dad worked for the local council.
When she left school, she briefly got a job with the council before becoming a Labour Party activist and getting elected as councillor for Kingsway ward.
Karen met the Labour MP in the Rochdale Labour Club and she said they were both quickly attracted to each other, even though Simon was married to his first wife Sonia Milewski at the time.
In 2009, it emerged that Simon and Karen had a child and they were expecting another one, prompting Sonia to divorce him in 2010, the same year Simon became a Labour MP.
Karen and Simon married in 2012.
In June 2015, the couple revealed they had separated because, according to her, he was jealous of the attention she was receiving because of her sexy selfies.
But he said he had been suffering depression caused by his campaigning work on child sexual abuse which had affected his marriage.
The MP is now planning to marry new girlfriend Charlene Mede in a Christmas ceremony at the House of Commons.
Why has Karen Danczuk defended Simon?
The Sun revealed the ex-Labour politician was set to be quizzed by cops over allegations he raped a young woman in May 2016 in Westminster.
Despite divorcing Simon in December 2015 following eight years of marriage, Karen – dubbed the Selfie Queen – said: “Myself and our two boys are standing by Simon. I don’t believe the allegations for one minute and I am shocked by it all.
“It’s not the sort of thing Simon would do.
“I’m sure it will be cleared up satisfactorily. I trust the police to do a thorough investigation.”
Did Karen Danczuk stand for election?
Karen put herself forward to become the Labour candidate for Bury North in the General Election.
The 33-year-old had four-year stint as a councillor in Rochdale and said she wanted to run for Parliament saying: "I really believe I'm a voice of the people."
But she failed in her bid to be selected as a candidate and Labour instead chosen James Frith to stand for the seat held by Conservative David Nuttall.
What has Karen Danczuk said about her troubled childhood?
Karen has bravely opened up about the abuse she received at the hands of her brother.
Karen’s older brother Michael Burke was convicted of eight rapes against three different victims, including his sister, on November 30 2016.
He collapsed in court after he was found guilty of a string of sex attacks over an 18 year period between 1992 and 2010.
Karen exclusively told The Sun how her 'monster' of a brother robbed her of her childhood after years of abuse.
The 33-year-old gave evidence in court that helped put Burke behind bars, but admitted on an appearance on Loose Women that she "felt guilty for doing it".
She bravely waived her right to anonymity to talk about being raped by her brother between the ages of nine and 11 to encourage other survivors of sexual abuse to speak out in supports of ITV's .
Why is Karen known as the “Selfie Queen”?
Karen soon became known on social media after posting many photos of her cleavage and in a bikini on her Twitter page.
Since revealing the horrific sexual abuse she received as a child, she has admitted that the experience is what led her to becoming obsessed with posting so many sexy selfies.
She told Good Morning Britain; "I think I was trying to prove I was wanted, that people wanted me. It was just approval, this has happened but I'm still a woman."
