31 July 2023 , 06:43
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Former Strictly Come Dancing star and comedian Seann Walsh has revealed that the only way he can eat around other people is by playing background music during meals due to the fact he cannot tolerate the sound of people eating.
The much-loved comedian, who made his return to I'm A Celebrity earlier this year, lives with misophonia - a disorder in which certain sounds trigger emotional or physiological responses that some might perceive as unreasonable given the circumstance. Those who have misophonia might describe it as when a sound 'drives you crazy'. Their reactions can range from anger and annoyance to panic and the need to flee.
Seann's condition has worsened so much over the years that he is now even unable to eat by himself without music to drown out the sound. Speaking on the My Favourite Takeaway Podcast, he explained: “I’ve got a thing called misophonia, a kind of irrational hatred of the sound of people eating. If we’re eating somewhere where the music is not on, I have to say, ‘Excuse me, sorry, could you put some music on please?’, which is a very strange request.”
Seann Walsh unveils severe medical condition which leaves him furious at dinner table (Brian J Ritchie/Hotsauce/REX/Shutterstock)
Seann can no longer eat without music playing in the background (Getty Images)The disorder is affecting Seann's life so much that he has even been forced to remove himself from certain situations while out and about in public. The comedian has revealed that he once had to hop off public transport due to the fact another person was eating crisps too loud - and the TV star is now calling for them to be banned on trains.
Opening up about what sounds trigger his condition, Seann said that 'crunchy' foods are his worst enemy: "Obviously I’ve got views on this. Crisps should be banned on trains, apples banned on trains, mainly crunchy fruit. You can have a banana, you can probably have an orange.”
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Individuals like Seann who live with misophonia often report they are triggered by oral sounds including the noise someone makes when they eat, breathe, and in Seann's case, chew. Other adverse sounds include keyboard or finger tapping or the sound of windshield wipers. Sometimes a small repetitive motion is the cause including if someone fidgets, jostles you, or wiggles their foot.
According to WebMD, a breakthrough study recently found that misophonia is a brain-based disorder. Researchers point to a disruption in the connectivity in parts of the brain that process both sound stimulation and the fight/flight response. It also involves parts of the brain that code the importance of sounds.