BlackBerry and Kim Kardashian ????

BlackBerry executives can breathe a sigh of relief. Kim Kardashian is coming to the rescue. 

The reality TV star turned business mogul made a shock confession at the Recode mobile conference last night: she still uses a BlackBerry Bold and keeps three replacements in her bedroom in case one breaks. 

"BlackBerry is my heart and soul," she said. "I use an older one, though. They don't have them in stores anymore. I buy them on eBay. I have three lined up in my room so if they break. If one breaks and I'm down to two, I search on eBay until I have my third. I have anxiety I'll run out."

For a company like BlackBerry, any publicity is good publicity. And, after years of disappointing sales and failed revamps, the smartphone-maker is beginning to show signs of improvement. Add Kim's expertise at making headlines and you may have a winner.

The world according to Kim Kardashian 

The company is no stranger to celebrity endorsements. It hired singer Alicia Keys as its global creative director- but the move was a disaster. Keys did little to lift sales of the BlackBerry 10 and ultimately left the job a year into the contract.

But Kim Kardashian is an expert at fame: she turned her sex tape notoriety into a successful platform to launch a reality TV series (now in its ninth season) and a range of successful products from perfumes (Kim Kardashian Eau de Parfum) to clothes (Kardashian Kollection).

What sets Kim apart from the less of D-list celebrities famous for being famous is her cult-like following on social media and her army of devoted fans.

She has 24.8 million followers on Twitter. Her wedding photograph became the most liked photo on Instagram with 1.92 million likes. She has a blog on Celebuzz which is regularly updated and has more than 20 million friends on Facebook.

In June, she put her celebrity to work and launched her first videogame with developer Glu Mobile. The game - Kim Kardashian Hollywood- aims to turn an ingénue into an A-list celebrity by meeting the right people, going to the right parties and buying the right clothes. Of course, Kim guides you along the way and voices her opinion: "So cute!"