Teenager who ate only plain pasta for 16 years has food phobia cured by hypnotist

A teenage girl who ate only plain pasta for over 16 years had her food phobia “cured” by a hypnotist.

Olivia Evans, 18, was only two when she started avoiding all other foods, expecting boiled pasta, leaving her parents in awe.

Throughout her childhood, the girl experienced extreme anxiety and nausea when faced with anything other than plain boiled spaghetti or pasta.

But the actress, who works full time as a Disney Elsa impersonator, decided to get hypnotized and after just a two hour shoot she ate fruits and veg, donuts, ham rolls and with cheese and spaghetti bolognese.

Olivia, from Coventry, said: “If I smelled something cooking or tasted anything, I would immediately feel sick.

“When my mother prepared a family meal, I would stay in my room and only come down after the window was opened and the smells had dissipated.

“I would make myself the blandest thing I could think of was pasta just boiled in a pot.

“I never thought of putting sauce on it because even the idea made me throw up.

“Working as an Elsa impersonator was also difficult because I was performing at children’s birthday parties and the smell of the cake and the party food would make me pretty sick.

“I just forced myself to stay in character and ride him because I didn’t want to let the kids down.”

Olivia was referred to her GP, but said the sessions never helped and she was called a “picky eater”.

Mum Estelle, 51, said: “It was a concern as we couldn’t take her to many places to eat and Christmas dinners would be a challenge.

“I took her to the GP but he just said she was a picky eater and would get out of it, but she never did.”

Desperate, she contacted London-based therapist and hypnotist David Kilmurry, who identified Olivia as having preventive restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID).

She added: “It was really amazing. After the session I got to try a lot of different foods.

“It was like I had always eaten food. The fruit tasted amazing, especially the strawberries and cherries.

“I have noticed a big difference in how I feel.

“Sometimes in my job I could have up to five parties a day, which is really tiring.

“Before I took hypnotherapy, I felt quite tired and it was difficult to eat snacks because there was so much that I just couldn’t eat.

“Now I have so much more energy and I’m jumping like crazy.

“My boyfriend really supported my eating habits and never pushed me to eat out.

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“Now that I can eat different foods, I can’t wait for us to go out for a Chinese or Indian meal like most other couples our age.”

She is now trying four new foods a day and wants to start cooking meals for her family and her boyfriend.

Mr Kilmurry said: “I am so proud that Olivia has the courage to break her neophobia / ARFID.

“She ate plain spaghetti and not much else on a daily basis, it’s dangerous and really wreaks havoc on the body and the brain.

“After the session, she majestically ate fruits and vegetables for the very first time and was amazed at how good it was.

“Food phobia is fueled by the negative imagination and any trick is used to eliminate the risk of the tongue finding out what is right and wrong.

“Olivia was used to unsatisfied taste buds, now she can eat foods fit for royalty.”

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