Pub waitress’s fear of ketchup is so severe the sight of it makes her cry
A pub waitress with a severe phobia of ketchup has told how she broke down in tears and had to be comforted by her boss after the condiment was accidentally spilt on her shoes.
Charlie Everett, 18, has not actually tried the sauce but has vowed she will ‘never’ allow it to pass her lips because the smell alone is enough to discourage her.
She says she feels ‘weird’ just being near to a bottle of the sauce and often has to leave an area if someone is eating it.
Charlie, from Finchley, north London, says she has had a fear of ketchup for as long as she can remember.
‘Even if friends are having chips and there’s ketchup near me, I can’t touch or go near it.
‘My mum’s quite a big fan and if she leaves it on the plate before washing up it drives me crazy.
‘I’m quite a picky eater but I don’t know where it all stemmed from.
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‘If I’m in the supermarket I’ll try and avoid the aisle with the ketchup in.
‘I’ve never tried it but I know I never will – that day will never come.’
Recalling when ketchup was spilled on her shoe, the teen said: ‘Obviously people are going to want sauces with their food.
‘We have this massive container of ketchup, and I was trying to squeeze some into a ramekin and it fell on my shoe.
‘My boss had to comfort me as I was crying.’
Charlie shared a now viral video on TikTok about her phobia, named mortuusequusphobia, receiving mixed reactions.
She also revealed how she has a ‘crippling’ fear of vomiting – known as emetophobia – which has affected her whole life.
The waitress considered therapy to treat the issue.
‘I seem to have a thing for weird phobias,’ she added.
‘Again, my whole life I’ve just always been scared of it.’
Until the end of last year, she says she had not vomited for a decade, describing how people being sick triggered a ‘breakdown’.
But she admitted: ‘In December I did get a bit too drunk and threw up – and I have to say it wasn’t as bad as I thought.’
Find out more about what causes strange phobias – and what we can do about them – or if you’re feeling brave, check out this A-Z of bizarre fears.
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