Ruby Marriott, 18, had been enjoying herself on the first night of a family holiday in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, when her evening of fun ended in tears as a Michael Jackson impersonator performed in the bar they were in.
Ruby's huge fear of the King of Pop hit hard, and a video by sister Macey, 19, shows Ruby crying and unable to look at the musician. The video went viral with more than nine million views, and Ruby, a student from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, has opened up about what exactly terrifies her so much about Michael Jackson.
She said: "It all started when I was about five years old. My sister and my cousin used to show me creepy edited videos of him that people made and conspiracy theories that he’s alive, like photos of him in the background of photos and in people's windows.
"Even when his music plays, I have a rush of fear through me. Thriller is the main song that scares me, mainly because of watching the music video when I was younger and it is one of his biggest hits so it’s played around me a lot.
"If a family member plays his songs, I have to walk out of the room. The fear started getting worse when we went on a family holiday to LA and stayed in a house we rented for three weeks. There was a door with about eight padlocks on it and one of my family members jokingly said, ‘What if Michael Jackson is hiding in there?’.
"Every night for three weeks, I had the same nightmare of him creeping out of the wardrobe and coming for me while I was asleep. I’m now 18 and the phobia hasn’t gotten any better!"
Family and friends of Ruby knew about her unusual fear. Heading out on Monday (August 22) to celebrate her uncle and aunt getting married, Ruby was sitting down after dancing at Bedrock Bar when the night turned sour.
Ruby said: "The first bar we went to was really quiet so not many people there. We had no idea about any tribute acts so we went in and had a few rounds of drinks.
"I was enjoying it a lot, we were all dancing, taking photos and having a laugh. It wasn’t until half an hour in that I heard the start of Thriller playing and I instantly started panicking. I turned around and saw a Michael Jackson impersonator dancing around on the dance floor next to me.
"I ran over to where my family were sitting and instantly started crying and panicking even more. I couldn’t even look at him!"
Macey posted a clip of her tearful reaction on TikTok - and it quickly went viral. Over nine million people have watched the video with some admitting that they are also scared of Michael Jackson. One wrote: "I love Michael but this phobia is very justifiable." Another commented: "I have the same thing, I can't sleep, he gives me nightmares."
Macey said: "I originally showed my friends the video and they found it hilarious so I posted it on my TikTok, not expecting it to blow up like it did. Ruby has always been a funny and dramatic character so it’s funny to me that she’s blown up for it!"
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
Find recommendations for eating out, attractions and events near you here on our sister website 2Chill
Find recommendations for dog owners and more doggy stories on our sister site Teamdogs
