Stormy Daniels takes to witness stand in Trump’s hush money trial

Stormy Daniels, the adult film actress at the centre of Donald Trump‘s hush money trial, took the stand on Tuesday on testify as a witness.

Dressed in black with black-framed glasses, the former porn star began her testimony describing her upbringing as a child of a single mother who would sometimes disappear for days at a time.

She said she began dancing in a club at age 17. “I started dancing on the weekend, which was actually kind of cool because I didn’t have to miss classes,” Ms Daniels said, adding that the pay was better than “shovelling manure”.

Mr Trump leaned back in his chair, slightly slouched, as he watched her.

Ms Daniels, 45, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was reportedly paid $130,000 (£103,500) to keep quiet about allegedly having sex with the former president in the run-up to the 2016 election.

She claims she met Mr Trump in 2006 at a celebrity golf tournament when she was 27 and Mr Trump was 60.

Around a decade later, Ms Daniels was reportedly approached by Mr Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen, who offered her money not to disclose the alleged affair. The former president is accused of falsifying business records as part of an alleged scheme to bury the payment.

Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty. He denies the encounter with Ms Daniels took place.

The criminal trial in New York represents the first of its kind involving a former president of the United States.

This is a breaking news story and is being updated.