Mystified mum spots Margaret Thatcher's face burnt into her ironing board

14 December 2023 , 14:12

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Karen Schmit poses with the ironing board with Margaret Thatcher's face on (Image: Iain W / SWNS)

A mum was amazed when she spotted the Iron Lady herself staring out from her ironing board.

Part time teaching assistant Karen Schmit posted the item on Facebook for sale when several people pointed out a mark on its multi-coloured cover resembled former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ’s face. The £5 listing is still live but Karen, 63, has changed her mind about selling the metre-long board and now wants it as a keepsake as it had belonged to her late mum who she believed would have "loved" the resemblance with Thatcher - who earned the nickname Iron Lady for her leadership style.

The ironing board was taken off sale when she saw the face (Iain W / SWNS)

The Iron Lady was seen in the ironing board (Getty Images)

Karen said: “I was clearing stuff out. I don't like anything to go to waste. People said they could see a face in it. One person said it was the Queen - then the Thatcher comments started coming through. People said it was the Iron Lady! It's not on sale anymore. I've kept it, because it's so funny. My mum would have loved it."

Thatcher died in 2013 and ran the country from 1979 to 1990. She remains a divisive figure for millions of Brits for several reasons, including her policies leading to mass unemployment and the abolishment of free school milk. Among those who are not a fan of the former Tory leader was Karen herself, who added: “She wasn't for me.”

Earlier this year an expert explained why some people sometimes see faces in objects, while others might not.

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Jagran Josh explained: "As our brain has evolved over time, it filters out those things that it cannot understand to quickly reach a decision, or in this case, decide whether it's a man's face or a rat. To arrive at a decision, our brains form hypotheses based on our knowledge of the world around us, which is not always true.

“As our brain focuses more attentively on the image, it gathers more information and is, therefore, able to understand that the image looking like a man's face can also be that of a rat and vice versa", which is interesting, and explains why we see certain things in optical illusions that others may not.”

Antony Clements-Thrower