Comedian Katherine Ryan has opened up about how losing her sense of smell due to Covid-19 last year made her world “a little less flavourful”.
The 38-year-old said in an interview with the MailOnlinethat she still hasn’t fully recovered her sense of smell, saying she is only able to “smell quietly”.
Ryan, who is in a civil partnership with her husband Bobby Kootstra, said she realised that she couldn’t detect the smell of onions or garlic being fried when Kotstra was cooking in their home.
“That’s when I realised the world was a little less flavourful,” she told the newspaper.
“I felt a bit helpless at first so I learned all about this bulb in your brain that’s responsible for smell, it’s in the higher brain and you’ve got to mindfully smell different, strong smells across the spectrum to wake that back up.”
Loss of sense of smell, a condition known as anosmia, is a common symptom among those who contracted Covid-19.
Although the exact number of people who lost their sense of smell because of the virus is not known, one 2020 study that analysed data from nearly 8,500 people with Covid-19 from 13 countries found that 41 per cent of patients presented with “olfactory dysfunction”.
The olfactory cortex, which is part of the cerebrum, is the part of the brain concerned with the sense of smell. Scientists have suggested that this region becomes affected after a Covid-19 infection, resulting in the loss of smell.
Ryan has partnered with meal box delivery company Gousto and smell loss experts AbScent to create a free limited edition “Flavour Saviour” kit to help people who have lost or are struggling to get back their ability to smell.
The “smell training kit”, which is available to order online, includes four jars of fragrances, including lemon, clove, eucalyptus and rose, and ingredients that are “hand-picked to stimulate the taste buds”.
The Ready To Mingle host said she used Gousto’s “smell kits” and has learned that she can smell some aromas “really strongly”, whereas “others I can hardly smell like the rose”.
According to a study conducted by Gousto with more than 2,000 Covid patients, more than half (57 per cent) said the loss of their sense of smell, and therefore taste, has taken the joy out of food for them.
Around a third of those surveyed said they tried eating burnt orange, garlic cloves and gargling salt water to try and regain their sense of taste.
Chrissi Kelly, founder of AbScent, said: “The pandemic has brought a new-found awareness and sensitivity to those suffering with smell disorders. So many people tell us they feel frightened or isolated, but they’re not alone; pre-pandemic, approximately 3.3 million people in the UK were affected by smell loss.
“Now, over one million additional people in the UK will have suffered with more persistent smell loss due to Covid. By teaming up with Gousto, our hope is that more people will consider smell training to support their recovery, and know that there is support for those who need it.”
