SHE rose to fame in Hackney in 2011 after a video of her asking rioters “Why are you kids burning your own shops?” went viral.

Although not in good health at the time, and walking with the aid of a stick, the mum of four rebuked rioters for their “short-sighted anger.”

Now ‘Hackney Heroine’ Pauline Pearce has visited Newport for a Christmas dinner in support of the Liberal Democrats.

She was the guest speaker at the Liberal Democrats’ Christmas dinner last week after she fearlessly tackled rioters as they looted shops in the London borough during riots sparked by Mark Duggan's death.

She told a capacity audience at Malpas Court that she was “stunned” to find she had achieved overnight fame, with journalists from various media, queuing up for interviews.

The “Hackney Heroine” title stuck, though Pauline said she just got angry at the rioters and waded in.

There wasn’t anything “heroic” about her actions, she said.

She joined the Liberal Democrats shortly after her brush with fame, and hopes to fight a parliamentary seat next May.

She was welcomed to Newport's Malpas Court by Paul Halliday, who will represent Newport East at the general election.