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Celebrity food phobias revealed: Kendall Jenner, Oprah Winfrey, Liam Payne and more

Food isn't fun for everyone…

Parenting Editor
July 8, 2020

Eating is one of those normal things we all do every day, like sleeping and talking. But what if food wasn't so simple for you – if a type of food or things associated with mealtimes totally freaked you out? Phobias like this do exist for some people and a few well-known stars experience food fears too.

Want to find out who has an unusual phobia related to eating? Read on…

READ: Jennifer Lopez's diet revealed: what the singer eats for breakfast, lunch and dinner

WATCH: Royals' favourite snacks

Kendall Jenner

Model Kendall isn't afraid of food per se; it's the pattern on some foods which she can't handle. Speaking on her app, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star revealed: "Anyone who knows me knows that I have really bad trypophobia. Trypophobics are afraid of tiny little holes that are in weird patterns."

"Things that could set me off are pancakes, honeycomb or lotus heads (the worst!). It sounds ridiculous but so many people actually have it! I can't even look at little holes—it gives me the worst anxiety. Who knows what's in there???"

Oprah Winfrey

Did you know that Oprah has a strong dislike of chewing gum? Oprah once told The Late Show host Stephen Colbert how her phobia started and it all stems from her childhood.

The chat show host said: "I grew up poor in Mississippi and my grandmother — absolutely no hyperbole whatsoever — my grandmother used to try to save gum, so she would put it on the bedpost, she would put it on the cabinet."

"As a child, I used to bump into it and it would rub up against me, and you know what it’s like when you’ve taken it out of your mouth and it’s been out a couple of weeks? It’s bad. And so I was afraid of it.”

MORE: The Queen's one dining table rule all royals must follow

Liam Payne

So singer Liam Payne has a phobia of other people's spoons. He explained to Capital FM:

"See I’m not so much scared of spoons, I’ll hold one. But I don’t like eating with them if they’re not my spoons, if that makes sense.”

"It is a bit weird," he said. "When I was a kid I was a bit naughty at school and when you were naughty they made you do the washing up. I had to wash all these nasty spoons and then it’s just stuck with me after. I don’t know what people are doing with their spoons. I don’t want to know!"

Kyra Sedgwick

American actress Kyra has a food phobia some of us can maybe relate to – talking food. You know, when you're watching TV and a big talking carrot pops on the screen. It's a bit weird, isn't it?

Kyra's movie star husband Kevin Bacon once told Jay Leno of his wife's fear, revealing that she has to leave the room if commercials come on the TV with talking foods. Kevin even said he chose to turn down a part in an M&Ms where he'd play a huge Peanut M&M, due to his wife's phobia.

He explained: "I thought about it, and I said I can’t do that to my wife, because my marriage is more important. I really think she would’ve left me."

Alfred Hitchcock

Film producer Alfred – who brought us some of the scariest movies ever like Psycho and The Birds – actually had a phobia himself… of eggs.

According to The Telegraph, Alfred once told an interviewer:

"I'm frightened of eggs. That white round thing without any holes…have you ever seen anything more revolting than an egg yolk breaking and spilling its yellow liquid?"

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