Kim Kardashian hits back at claim she 'significantly damaged' Marilyn Monroe's dress

Kim Kardashian insists she didn't damage Marilyn Monroe's dress at the Met Gala.

The 41-year-old star has addressed claims she damaged the late Hollywood legend's iconic gown - which is owned by Ripley's Believe It Or Not - when she was allowed to wear it on the red carpet last month.

Asked on Tuesday's episode of 'TODAY' if she "ruined" the dress", she said: "No... Ripley's [and I] worked together so well. There were handlers and gloves that put it on me."

Collector Scott Fortner previously branded Ripley's Believe it Or Not "irresponsible" for loaning her the gown - which was worn by Monroe in 1962 when she sang 'Happy Birthday' to then-President John F. Kennedy - and accused the brunette beauty of causing "irreparable" damage to the gown.

However, Kim has now explained her use of the dress to for the Met gala's themed of 'Gilded Glamour', and how she only wore it for a matter of minutes.

She added: "I respect [Monroe]. I understand how much this dress means to American history, and with the [Met Gala] theme being ‘American,’ I thought, ‘What is more American than Marilyn Monroe singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the President of the United States?'

"It was such a process. I showed up to the red carpet in a robe and slippers and I put the dress on at the bottom of the carpet, went up the stairs …

Photo / Getty

"I probably had it on for three minutes, four minutes, and then I changed at the top of the stairs.”

Her comments come after Ripley's had also dismissed speculation she damanged the gown.

They said in a statement: "Kim Kardashian wearing the 'Happy Birthday' dress has been hotly contested, but the fact remains that she did not, in any way, damage the garment in the short amount of time it was worn at the Met Gala.

"'From the bottom of the Met steps, where Kim got into the dress, to the top where it was returned, the dress was in the same condition it started in', noted Ripley’s VP of Publishing and Licensing, Amanda Joiner, who was continuously with the dress the day of the Gala and during transport from Orlando to New York."

They also shared a 2017 report about the gown's condition, noting "a number of seams are pulled and worn", while "there is pucking at the back by the hooks and eyes" as well as other damaged areas.

- Bang! Showbiz