Anna Maxwell Martin has opened up about a highly unusual phobia that she says has affected her behaviour on film set.
The Line of Duty and Motherland actress has said that she has a fear of sandwiches.
That’s right, her character has been on the forefront of crime – yet she is scared to go near what must be the most inoffensive of lunch options.
“If I’m on a set and sandwiches are brought on – it’s hard for me to even say that word – I’d have to say, ‘Get that out’,” she told the Sun.
“’Sorry, other actors, you’re not eating. Or, if you want to eat, step outside. But not in here’.”
Maxwell Martin, who is now starring in BBC drama Ludwig, says the problem may stem from her hatred of mayonnaise and being sick during her pregnancy with her two daughters.
And the actress’s contempt is such that she has said that she cannot even bear to be next to an open fridge.
The 47-year-old added: “I think there is trauma. It’s not about sandwiches, but I was sick all through my pregnancies.
“Sick, sick, sick as a dog. So now I also have a problem with fridges as well.
"Oh my God, I can open a fridge and be like, ‘Not for me, not staying here, not eating here’.”
Maxwell Martin’s case may sound extreme but she is not alone in her sandwich phobia.
There are those whose stomachs turn at the thought of a filling between slices of bread.
Jesy Nelson has also said the thought makes her feel “sick”.
There is no specific term for having a phobia of sandwiches, but it is a condition that has multiple sufferers (cibophobia is the term for a general phobia of food, if you were wondering).
VeryWellMind says that cibophobia in general is often simply an inherited genetic condition related to anxiety.
Meanwhile, the website Epicurious states that sandwich phobia could stem from “having to eat sandwiches as a child” and this being cognitively linked to traumatic experiences – perhaps playground bullying.
Clinical psychologist Matthew Goldfine told the website that something about the lucky-dip nature of a sandwich, especially not one self made, can cause issues.
“Even if you know every ingredient inside of a sandwich, not being able to see the elements while eating it could create uneasiness.”
There is no particular cure for sandwich phobia but cognitive behaviour therapy and hypnotherapy are options and Beat Eating Disorders can also help, for what is known as ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder).
Maxwell Martin is, however, set to continue with the sandwich avoidance for now.
“Someone was saying to me the other day that she doesn’t like the sound of chewing gum or the sound of things and she said maybe you have a similar thing about foods,” she said.
“I was on a train yesterday with sandwiches and it was a nightmare.”
