Ageing With Attitude: Octogenarian Helen Ruth Van Winkle is an internet sensation among all age groups

Kentucky octogenarian Helen Ruth Van Winkle’s brash online persona has turned the internet’s obsession with young people on its head, writes Margaret Jennings.

IF A picture is worth a thousand words then 86-year-old great-grandmother ‘Baddie Winkle’ has proved the point beyond measure, clocking up 897,000 followers in just over a year on Instagram.

The Kentucky-based octogenarian, whose real name is Helen Ruth Van Winkle, has used the photo-sharing social media platform to strike irreverent and shocking poses, which have made her an internet sensation among all age groups.