Charlie enjoys fruits of phobia-busting TV show
A WOMAN with a fear of fruit that left her ‘heart pounding’ is overcoming her phobia after appearing on TV.
Charlie, 33, from Macclesfield had a phobia of apples and bananas so severe it made her ‘really anxious’ and says her limited diet could be particularly embarrassing at social functions such as weddings.
She took part in a new show fronted by Doctor Ranj Singh aimed at helping people overcome eating fears and be able to eat normally.
The nursery nurse told the camera she existed on a ‘safe’ diet of macaroni cheese and chips, hiding her eat fruit and veg aversion so her sevenyear-old son wouldn’t inherit her anxieties.
Charlie said: “When I was faced with something new my heart used to pound, I used to feel a bit sick and my throat would close up.
“I just started to feel really, really anxious.
“I always used to find I was eating side dishes or things off the kids’ menu.
“One of the worst things was a best friend’s wedding.
“Everyone had this sit-down meal and enjoyed a beautifully prepared steak dish.
“I had a jacket potato with cheese. It was a bit embarrassing.”
Charlie has suffered from food phobia all her life and more recently was diagnosed with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), a condition in which people eat within a very narrow repertoire of foods.
“Knowing it was a fear of food made it a little bit easier to deal with,” she says.
“But it was really hard to pluck up the confidence to change – I’d been this way my whole life.”
With the help of expert therapy on the programme Charlie was able to try her biggest fear – bananas – and she has continued to make progress since the cameras stopped rolling.
She has developed a love of tuna and enjoys meat including chicken, much to the delight of her husband, Alex.
“We went out for my husband’s birthday the other day and there was a buffet,” she said. “I tried a beef dish I would never have tried before.
“I cooked him a full English breakfast that morning too.
“I tried bacon, black pudding and mushrooms.
“My son said he didn’t like mushrooms but I told him I was trying them so he did, too.
“It was great to be able to lead by example.
“The show has completely changed my outlook on food.”