People are just learning snowman phobia is real after woman breaks down crying when facing her fear

A woman revealed that she has a very unusual phobia which has often made her life very difficult.

In an appearance on UK morning show This Morning, the guest explained that they have a condition called chionoandrophobia.

Anyone who knows their Ancient Greek and etymology might be able to figure out what this unusual fear is from its name.

But for those of us who don't speak Ancient Greek, here's a quick breakdown for you.

The word contains 'chiono' meaning snow, and 'andro' meaning man or masculine, so 'chionoandrophobia' is the fear of snowmen.

Taking to This Morning in 2011, the woman sat with Nik and Eva Speakman and This Morning hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford.

They tried to get to the bottom of the fear in order to help her confront it and to overcome it.

The guest said: "I want it gone," she told the stars. "I don't want to have to walk down the street and worry."

In an attempt to help the poor guest overcome her fear, they had someone dressed in a snowman costume.

ITV

Once the guest was ready, they drew back the curtain and revealed the snowman there.

Unfortunately it didn't go well, with the guest immediately turning away from the snowman, hiding her face, and starting to cry.

The snowman was a large onesie, similar to a sports mascot, and a large head with a snowman's face stitched on.

And after seeing the video, many people were saying the same thing in the comments - that the snowman they chose was probably not the best one as even people without the phobia thought it was creepy.

One wrote: "They picked a very creepy looking snowman though to be fair to her!" while another replied: "tbf they couldn’t have picked a creepier snowman costume."

ITV

A third took things even further, posting: "They couldn’t have picked a more sinister looking snowman if they gave it an AK47."

Another person pointed out that while it's clearly an unusual thing to be afraid of, that doesn't mean that it's not a valid fear that can have a bad impact on someone's life.

They wrote: "Each persons fears are valid and unique, deserving of empathy and understanding. It's important to support individuals facing challenges, regardless of how uncommon they may seem at first glance."

The cause of a phobia can vary a lot from case to case, and it's not clear exactly what causes them.

The NHS website says that life experiences, for example a traumatic event, brain chemistry, and even genetics can all be a factor.

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