While Mary Robinson has been in the headlines in recent times for her involvement in the mystifying case of Dubai princess Latifa she has long been a household name in Ireland.
From her pioneering career advocating for women's and human rights to serving as Ireland's first female president, Mary Robinson has been a political titan throughout the decades.
But her life has not been without controversy.
Here's all you need to know about the former president and human rights activist ahead of her Late Late Show appearance.
Mary Robinson was born on 21 May 1944 in Ballina Co. Mayo the daughter of two medical doctors.
She attended Mount Anville Secondary School in Dublin before she went on to study law at Trinity College.
She was elected a scholar in 1965 before graduating in 1967 with first class honours.
Political career
Robinson started her political career when she was elected to Dublin City Council in 1979, where she served until 1983.
However, she first hit national headlines as one of University of Dublin's three members of the Seanad, to which she was first elected, as an Independent Senator, in 1969.
She initially served in the Irish upper house as an Independent Senator, but in the mid-1970s, she joined the Labour Party.
She ran for election to the Dail but was unsuccessful.
In 1982, the Labour Party entered into a coalition government with Fine Gael.
Robinson resigned from the party in protest at the Anglo-Irish Agreement that the coalition led by Taoiseach.
Garret FitzGerald had signed with the British Government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Robinson argued that unionist politicians in Northern Ireland should have been consulted as part of the deal, despite their reluctance to share power.
She remained in the Seanad for four more years.
In 1990, Labour approached her about running for President in that year's election.
After some consideration, she agreed to become the first Labour nominee for the presidency and the first woman candidate in what was only the second presidential election to be contested by three candidates since 1945.
After a tense election campaign she became the first Labour Party candidate, the first woman, and the first non-Fianna-Fail candidate in the history of contested presidential elections to win the presidency.
Robinson was most revered for her work as a human rights activist.
During her time in politics she worked as legal advisor for the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform, with future Trinity College Senator David Norris.
She campaigned on a wide range of liberal issues, including the right of women to sit on juries, the then requirement that all women, upon marriage, resign from the civil service, and the right to the legal availability of contraception.
This latter campaign won her many enemies. She was denounced from the pulpit of Ballina Cathedral for her campaigning for family planning rights for women in Ireland, causing distress to her parents.
Personal life
In 1970, she married Nicholas Robinson, with whom she had a relationship since they were fellow law students.
Despite the fact that her family had close links to the Church of Ireland, her marriage to a Protestant caused a rift with her parents, who did not attend her wedding. The rift was eventually overcome in subsequent months.
Together they have three children.
Recent controversy
Robinson has recently spoken out about her recent involvement in the strange case of Princess Latifa, the daughter of the ruler of Dubai
She recently said she was “horribly tricked” when she was photographed with Princess Latifa Al Maktoumwho has accused her father of holding her hostage.
She has made a number of attempts to flee the emirate, video messages to friends claim.
She escaped from Dubai in February 2018 but was forcibly returned the following month.
Mrs Robinson previously described Princess Latifa as a "troubled young woman", but has since admitted she was "misled".
She said she was told that Latifa had “quite a serious bipolar problem”.
Robinson is set to set the record straight in her Late Late Show interview with Ryan Tubridy on Friday.
The Late Late Show airs on RTE One on Friday at 9.35pm.
