A phobia is basically a type of anxiety disorder that can affect people of any age and statuses, of course! Whether you are a famous person or not, you can still experience extreme and irrational fears about an animal, a place, an object, or even a situation.
In general, these fears affect your lifestyle, and people who suffer from this disorder will try their best to avoid what they consider dangerous. When you see the trigger for your phobia, your brain will think that you are in danger and will act accordingly in order to save your life, even though, in reality, there’s no real danger.
Well, celebrities are human beings too, so they can have phobias just like you, so while fear is irrational, this is normal in people. You may develop a fear like this in childhood if you have experienced a traumatic event in your life or have simply witnessed someone else experiencing something that affected your emotional state.
That being said, in this article, you will find some famous people you didn’t know actually have animal phobias! Keep reading for more info!
Kristen Stewart
- Fear of horses
If you’ve watched the Twilight Saga film series as well as the Snow White movie, you definitely know who Kristen Stewart is. This famous American actress and filmmaker was the highest-paid actress in the world in 2010 and 2012. What many people don’t know about her is that she actually suffers from equinophobia or hippophobia, which is actually the irrational fear of horses.
The actress publicly stated that she “hates them,” and her phobia occurred when she was only nine years old. She developed this fear after falling from a horse and breaking her elbow. As I said before, people who experience a traumatic event are more likely to develop a phobia, especially if that event involves interacting with an animal.
La Toya Jackson
- Fear of cats
La Toya Jackson is an American singer, actress, songwriter, former model, activist, businesswoman, sister to the late Michael Jackson, and a two-time New York Times best-selling author. Of course, she is a strong woman with an amazing personality, but she’s also afraid of cats. Can you believe it?
The irrational fear of cats is also known as ailurophobia, and according to recent surveys, there are many Americans who suffer from this type of phobia. However, in an episode of American Idol, La Toya Jackson said that she is afraid of cats. Phobias can occur even if you have witnessed someone else experiencing a traumatic event, and this is what happened to La Toya Jackson. She developed this kind of fear as a child after seeing a close relative being attacked by a cat.
Orlando Bloom
- Fear of pigs
Orlando Bloom is an English-born actor who is also well-known for his roles in The Lord of the Rings film series (his first role out of drama school), The Hobbit film series, and the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series. Even if you are probably a fan of these movies and you like his acting, there are a few things that you didn’t know about this famous actor and one of them is that he is actually afraid of pigs.
We have no idea whether he eats pork or not, but the animal per se is a trigger for his fear, which is scientifically known as swinophobia. The fear of pigs is irrational, and he said that he was afraid of them when he was filming The Kingdom of Heaven while a pig was running loose on set.
Lyle Lovett
- Fear of cows
I guess everyone knows that Lyle Lovett is a famous American singer, songwriter, actor, and Julia Roberts’ ex-husband, right? He has won 4 Grammy Awards, including Best Male Country Vocal Performance.
Lovett is afraid of cows, and this fear is a phobia known as bovinophobia. This is considered a specific phobia, which means that his fear is irrational and he experiences intense anxiety and a panic attack when he sees cows. His phobia developed after he was attacked by a bull on his uncle’s farm and suffered a severe leg fracture. So, this is another proof that traumatic events often lead to phobias.
Scarlett Johansson
- Fear of cockroaches
Scarlett Johanson is an American celebrity known for her beauty, charming personality, and acting skills. She has been the highest-paid of female actresses in the world since 2018 and has won a lot of awards, including a Tony Award and a BAFTA Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards. Nevertheless, Scarlett Johansson is also afraid of cockroaches – and to be honest, who isn’t? They are absolutely disgusting.
Of course, this is a specific phobia known as katsaridaphobia, so it can cause panic attacks and severe episodes of anxiety in people who are afraid of cockroaches. According to Johansson, she developed this phobia when she woke up with a cockroach on her face. The event was so shocking that she started to hate them forever.
Tyra Banks
- Fear of dolphins
Tyra Banks is an American television personality, actress, and businesswoman who started her career as Victoria’s Secret model from 1997 to 2005. Banks suffers from an unusual, specific phobia that causes her panic attacks, irrational fear, and anxiety when she sees… dolphins!
I wonder how anyone can be scared of dolphins, which are some of the cutest and most intelligent animals in the world. Well, anything is possible when we suffer certain unpleasant or traumatic events or when we have had a well-developed imagination since childhood.
And this theory can be found even in Tyra Banks’ case. She apparently developed this phobia when she was only 8 years old and imagined that she was being attacked by dolphins in a swimming pool. Unfortunately, Tyra Banks still has recurring nightmares in which she is attacked by these aquatic beings.
Justin Timberlake
- Fear of spiders
Justin Timberlake is an American singer, composer, and actor who was part of one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. He also won two Grammy Awards for his album Justified (2002) and his single “Cry Me a River”.
However, Justin Timberlake suffers from arachnophobia, which is the irrational fear of spiders. Arachnophobia is actually one of the most common phobias among people.
David Beckham
- Fear of birds
David Beckham is an English former professional footballer who played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, Milan, LA Galaxy, Paris Saint-Germain, and so on. David Beckham is the first English football player to win league titles in four countries, namely England, the United States, France, and Spain, amassing 19 major trophies.
What many people don’t know about this iconic football player is that he is actually afraid of birds. The irrational fear of birds is known as ornithophobia and is quite common in people.
Walt Disney
- Fear of mice
Walt Disney was an American animator, writer, voice actor, and film producer who created and co-founded Disney World. Disney has won 22 Oscars from 59 nominations, and some of his films are included in the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress.
He first came up with the brilliant idea to create Mickey Mouse, who debuted in Steamboat Willie (1928), after seeing a few mice playing in his garage. Paradoxically, Walt Disney had a fear of mice. Can you believe the irony?
According to experts, the fear of mice and rats is one of the most common specific fears that can affect people of all ages.
If you also have animal phobias, this book might help you with that.
You should also read: If You Notice These 7 Things in Your Cat, Take a Trip to The Vet Now
