Singer Anne-Marie has revealed she may struggle on The Great British Bake Off – because she has a “phobia” of eating most foods.
The pop star existed for years on just cheese bagels, because a fear of vomiting prevented her from trying anything new.
But now the 29-year old has turned vegan after watching a documentary three years ago – which persuaded her to try vegetables for the first time.
Anne Marie believes her strange relationship with food began as a child when she refused to eat anything other than Philadelphia cream cheese sandwiches.
She explained: "My mum and dad went to the doctors because they were worried that this was the only thing I was eating.
“I would have cheese sandwiches for lunchtime then come home and have two cheese sandwiches for dinner. I wouldn't eat any vegetables or fruit. My dream meal is a Philadelphia bagel. Just cream cheese, no butter. In two bagels I will eat the whole tub."
The singer told the Off the Menu podcast that she is scared to try new foods because of a condition known as emetophobia, which makes her terrified of being sick.
"I feel like my whole life I have had this eating thing because I have this phobia of vomit. So I have never wanted to try anything. I am so terrified of it. I think that's why subconsciously I can't experiment with food," she said.
The star, currently appearing on ITV's The Voice as a coach, admitted she only tried tomatoes for the first time five years ago, and only recently ate her first onion.
She has visited a hypnotherapist to try and help her overcome the problem.
And, despite her lack of experience with vegetables, she turned vegan after seeing food documentary What the Health, which convinced her she needed to eat some fresh veg.
Anne-Marie’s ability to taste will be put to the test this spring as she joins a star-studded line-up competing to be crowned Celebrity Bake Off champion, for Stand Up to Cancer.
Her fellow bakers on the Channel 4 series include Rob Beckett, Daisy Ridley, Jade Thirlwall, Stacey Dooley, Nadine Coyle, Dame Kelly Holmes, KSI, and David Baddiel.
