She must Brie terrified: Student reveals chronic cheese phobia so bad she cries when she passes supermarket counter

• Melissa North, 22, developed phobia of cheese at the age of four
• Student, from Kent, says even walking past a deli counter is difficult for her
• She has stayed away from the food since she was given it as a child
  
• But she said phobia was made worse after cruel joke played at school
• Friends still tease her for her fear which has left her 'terrified' of the food
  

By James Rush

Published: 06:19 EST, 25 March 2014 | Updated: 08:50 EST, 25 March 2014

A 22-year-old student who is so terrified of cheese she is unable to walk past the supermarket counter in case she bursts into tears has spoken of how her phobia blights her everyday life.

Melissa North, from Herne Bay, Kent, said she developed the phobia at the age of four, but she is now so terrified of the dairy product the mere sight of it can bring her out in a cold sweat.

The illustration and visual communications student said family and friends tease her for the fear, which has seen her stay away from the food ever since she was given it at a friend's house when she was a child.

Melissa North, 22, has said she is so terrified of cheese she is unable to go past the supermarket counter in case she bursts into tears

She said: 'Walking past a deli counter in a supermarket is really difficult for me. I get so clammy and start to have a panic attack.

'It just looks awful - so gooey and disgusting - it makes me feel sick.

'My friends and family think it's hilarious but it's really awful. I hate going near the stuff, and seeing people eat it is horrendous.

'Touching or eating cheese for me is like someone who is scared of spiders holding a tarantula. It's terrifying.'

Ms North said she has stayed away from the dairy product ever since she was given cheese on toast at a friend's house when she was a child.

She said: 'It tasted horrible but my parents had always taught me to finish what was on my plate - I didn't want to be rude so I had no choice but to eat it.

The illustration and visual communications student has said her fear of the food has got worse after a cruel joke played on her by her school friends

'It just tasted disgusting and I've been afraid of it ever since. Now if I was ever offered cheese or was given a meal with cheese in it I would just have to refuse it - the idea of eating it makes me feel physically sick. I'm just so scared of it.'

The student says her fear of the food has got worse after a cruel joke played on her by her school friends.

She said: 'When I was 15 there was a really awful incident with cheese that made my phobia even worse.

'My friends at school all knew about my cheese phobia and thought it would be fun to throw some cheese at me as a joke.

Ms North said she has stayed away from the dairy product ever since she was given cheese on toast at a friend's house when she was a child

'It was cream cheese and it landed right in my face.

'I just fell to the floor and crawled out of the class room crying.

'I went to the toilets but was in too much of a state to clean it off. I was panicking and crying and I could just feel this horrible sticky cheese all over my face.

'My friend eventually managed to calm me down and clean me up but it was a horrendous experience.'

Ms North said the worst kind of cheese was soft cheese, while blue cheeses come in at a close second.

She said: 'I hate the way that cream cheese looks. It's so soft and gooey and just looks a mess.

'The texture of it makes me want to be sick - I think that's what scares me most about it, the way that it feels.

'Going into a supermarket and seeing all the cheeses piled high together makes me panic - I really have to struggle to hold it together.

'If there's ever a news item or a documentary on TV that shows cheese, I have to change the channel straight away.'

Ms North said she is constantly mocked by friends and family who think her phobia is amusing.

She said: 'My boyfriend is always making fun of me. He will chase me around the house with a block of cheese in his hand but I just go into a state of panic.

'I just have to lock myself in the bathroom until he gets bored. He is supportive of me but it's hard to explain how much I hate it.'

The student's most recent ordeal saw her unable to return to her room following another cruel joke by a university friend.

She said: 'I came back from a full day studying to find cheese smudged all over my door.

'A flatmate had found it funny to graffiti on my bedroom door and I just couldn't go near it.

'That wasn't even the worst part, they left a trail of cheese outside my door so there was no way I could go in.

'I wouldn't even risk jumping over it. I ran downstairs crying and it took hours for my flat mate to agree to clean it up.

'I know it sounds really strange, and I know that some people think I'm joking, but it's a serious phobia.

'I'd love not to be able to be so afraid of it, but I'm terrified.'

Dave Smithson, Services Coordinator at Anxiety UK, said: 'Any kind of phobia is an irratonal fear of an object or situation which wouldn't normally arise in the average person.

'It's not unusual to find different and unusual phobias like that of cheese.

'There are various ways you can help people with their phobias, in most cases it involves some sort of therapy, and a therapist can devise coping therapies.

'For a lot of people phobias are a life-long problem, as they do not realise what help they can be given.'

AFRAID OF PAPER, BOOKS OR EVEN STRING? 10 OTHER UNUSUAL PHOBIAS

If you're frightened of these, you may suffer from bibliophobia, or fear of books

More than a fear of something, a phobia is a type of anxiety disorder which means the sufferer has an overwhelming need to avoid all contact with the source of their anxiety.

Some phobias, such as arachnophobia, or fear of spiders, are more common than others, while others, such as these below, are more unusual.

Papyrophobia: Fear of paper

Bibliophobia: Fear of books

Euphobia: Fear of hearing good news

Chloephobia: Fear of newspapers

Coulrophobia: Fear of clowns

Aulophobia: Fear of flutes

Arachibutyrophobia: Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of one's mouth

Linonophobia: Fear of string

Hylophobia: Fear of woods or trees

Omphalophobia: Fear of tummy buttons