Woman, 37, suffers from phobia of The Muppets

It is extremely common for people to have a fear of spiders, heights, water and all manner of other things.

In fact, you probably know someone in your own life who will crumble if faced with the prospect of coming up against the item they cannot bear.

But a 37-year-old woman has revealed one of the most bizarre phobias yet, as she is terrified of the children's television show The Muppets. Lindsay Broom cannot stand the programme, ever since an unusual event in her childhood.

Ms Broom recalled she once visited a house with her mother so they could buy a rabbit hutch. During their time at the property, she was left in a dark room with an old lady, who she described as being "obviously unwell".

"She sat there groaning and wheezing as an episode of The Muppets was playing on the TV. It was the strangest and most terrifying experience of my entire life. When mum came back to collect me from the room I burst into tears," she explained.

Now, Ms Broom cannot even stand her husband humming the theme tune from the show, as if he does she becomes "a wreck".

She noted when she sees any of the famous characters – such as Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear – she immediately imagines them with twisted facial features and distorted bodies, leaving her having "to get away from them".

The phobia first came to the fore in the 1990s when Ms Broom was 18 and she spotted a Muppet toy in a shop. She said she "just completely freaked out" at that time and has not been able to deal with the characters since.

Another occasion saw her visit a theme park in Florida, where he wanted to queue up for a Muppets ride. You might not be surprised to learn that Ms Broom scarpered extremely quickly, never to return anywhere near the ride again.