A village boozer has reopened with a boxing legend at the helm.

Kellie Maloney was joined by celebrity friends as The Unicorn, Marden, welcomed punters at the launch.

It was well supported with numbers reaching 500 and reports of up to a half-hour wait to be served meaning other pubs in the village also did a bumper trade.

Miss Maloney, previously known as Frank, rose to fame as the manager of former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world Lennox Lewis.

Between 1978 and 1992 she ran five pubs across the South East, including the Crayford Arms, in Crayford, and one-time pub of the year the Castle in Aldgate, London.

In 2014, Kellie, who has three children, began living as a woman.

She has since appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and rarely stayed out of the headlines.

The 63-year-old announced her intention to take on the High Street venue at the start of the year and, after discussions with owners Enterprise Inns, bought the lease.

Since previous landlord Keith Rookledge bid farewell in April, Miss Maloney has been renovating the pub ready for last Saturday’s grand unveiling, which saw her joined by reality show Storage Hunters’ Heavy D, Karl Howman, who played Jacko in 80s television show Brush Strokes, former footballer Mark Bright and parliamentary candidate Helen Grant, who is hoping to retain her Maidstone and the Weald seat in parliament.

Miss Maloney, who has previously voiced her intention to start a campaign to save the pub trade, said: “It was a great evening with more than 500 people here.

“There were more people here than used to come to my boxing shows.

“I was really happy Helen Grant turned up and spent a long time here. The amount of people knocked me off balance a bit but I was more happy on the Sunday when it was mainly locals and I was able to get round and talk to them.”