A 60-year-old lawmaker who was nicknamed "wicked witch of the north" by a UK gay news service has dominated local and international headlines after her affair with a man four decades her junior in 2008 came to light.

Her husband First Minister Peter Robinson (photo above, right) announced he would step aside for six weeks to answer questions about his wife's romantic and financial dealings with the 19-year-old for whom she helped raised tens of thousands of dollars when she was 58. The Northern Ireland Assembly's Committee on Standards and Privileges has begun an official investigation into the conduct of the Robinsons. 

In December 2009, Iris Robinson (photo above, middle), said she was quitting politics because of an ongoing battle with severe depression after revelations of questionable financial dealings. She said in a statement on Wednesday that she had attempted suicide after she had a "brief" relationship with the younger man.

The BBC reported that she obtained £50,000 (US$80,000) to help her then lover Kirk McCambley, now aged 21, launch a cafe. The news network said that she failed to register the money with the relevant authorities as required by the law nor did her husband who knew about her financial dealings tell the proper authorities.

Gay rights group Stonewall voted Mrs Robinson the UK Bigot of the Year 2008 after she described homosexuality as an "abomination" and that with help, gay people could be "turned around and become heterosexual" in a BBC radio interview.

Her comments were made in the same week that a gay man had been badly beaten in a homophobic attack and there was a massive outcry.

The Belfast Telegraph in July 2008 quoted Mrs Robinson as saying to a committee of UK MPs during a debate on the assessment and management of sex offenders that she thought homosexuality to be “viler” than child sex abuse.

“There can be no viler act, apart from homosexuality and sodomy, than sexually abusing innocent children,” she said.

When contacted by the newspaper, she defended her comments saying: “Anything I say is out of love. I am not hate-mongering. I cannot leave my Christian values hanging at the door when I go into politics."

A police investigation examined claims her comments breached hate crime laws but no charges were brought.

Meanwhile, the 21-year-old lover of Iris Robinson, 60, has become a gay icon poster-boy and is courted by Britain's gay Attitude magazine to appear on the cover of its next edition.

"A lot of gay people are feeling grateful to him for exposing her.” Matthew Todd, editor of Attitude, was quoting as saying in an AFP report.

"There's something very satisfying when somebody is being very pious and religious... the fact that he's young and attractive brings it down to earth.”

He added that there was "a lot of real anger" in the gay community towards Iris Robinson but now that she had been "humiliated" by her affair, the family had suffered enough.

Gay rights activist Peter Tatchell however had stronger words for her.

“I’m sorry for the pain that Iris Robinson has suffered but she’s a hypocrite. Even now, despite her own adultery, she expresses no regret for her harsh, judgemental moralising against gay people. She is sad and two-faced.

“It is terrible that Iris Robinson has been driven to attempted suicide and a mental breakdown. I feel very sorry for her. But it is a great pity that this painful experience has not softened her heart towards the suffering of lesbians and gay men.

“Even now, she expresses no regret for her harsh, judgemental moralising against gay people. Iris seems as unforgiving as ever. She’s still unrepentant about her homophobia.”