Kanchana Kaetkaew, 39, made her record attempt in front of a crowd at a shopping mall in Pattaya, a city on the Gulf of Thailand known for its nightlife and cabaret.

She held the poisonous arachnid in her mouth for two minutes and three seconds before spitting it out - all the time wearing a white dress and gloves covered in the stinging creatures.

Kanchana then went on to begin her second world record attempt, entering a glass compound where she hopes to stay for 33 days and nights along with 5,000 scorpions in order to beat her record of 32 days set in 2002.

In 2006 Kanchana hit the headlines when she married the country's so-called 'Centipede King'. -- AFP