Seann Walsh has shared how misophonia affects his experience of dining out, and explained why he always needs music when he’s in a restaurant.
The comedian, 37, also revealed what food he thinks people should be “banned” from eating in public to avoid triggering his condition.
Misophonia is a condition that makes certain sounds, such as loud chewing, slurping and even breathing, intolerable to hear. People with the condition may feel extremely disgusted, angry or panicked upon hearing the sounds.
In a recent appearance on My Favourite Takeaway podcast, Walsh said: “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,” he admitted.
However, music in the atmosphere can help drown out the sound of other people chewing, and therefore avoids triggering the condition.
Walsh revealed what foods set off his misophonia the most, which includes anything that “crunches”.
“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,” he said.
A study published earlier this year by King’s College London and the University of Oxford found that misophonia affects nearly one in five people in the UK.
Dr Jane Gregory, senior author of the study, explained at the time that misophonia can “cause feelings of helplessness and being trapped when people can’t get away from an unpleasant sound”.
“Often, those with misophonia feel bad about themselves for reacting the way they do, especially when they are responding to sounds made by loved ones,” she added.
In February, Walsh welcomed his first child with girlfriend Grace Adderley. The TV star told followers he “passed out during the birth”, but was nevertheless having a “great week”.
Walsh and Adderley, 30, have been dating since 2019. They announced that they were expecting their first child in December that year.
Last year, Walsh was a competitor on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! It marked his first appearance on reality TV since he joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2018 and became embroiled in a scandal with his professional dance partner Katya Jones, after they were photographed kissing on a night out.
At the time, he was in a long-term relationship with actor Rebecca Humphries, while Jones was married to fellow Strictly dancer Neil Jones.
In an episode of I’m A Celebrity, Walsh opened up about “the most depressing month” of his life after the scandal broke. He told fellow campmate and comedian Babatúndé Aléshé that news about him and Jones kissing emerged just before he was due to perform at Edinburgh Fringe.
He said: “Just before I’m about to go on, my agent comes in and goes, ‘Just so you know, there’s like 30 people.’ To get told that when you’re just about to go on… horrific. It was at that point I was like, ‘Oh, oh…’ My career was dead, I was over.”
