A glamorous mum, who appeared on Channel 5’s Rich Holiday Poor Holiday and Rich Kids Go Skint, has revealed her biggest fear which has seen her uninvited from events.
Jodie Weston, an influencer and DJ from London, took part in the show last year and says she was taught an “important lesson” about appreciating the little things in life.
And that message still rings true today, especially when tackling her greatest phobia.
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The 30-year-old says that, as a result, she’s been uninvited from events – or not invited at all – and claims friends call her “mad”.
No, it’s not public speaking, snakes or enclosed spaces, as listed by YouGov as the top fears Brits have – but, in fact, lifts.
“I’m absolutely terrified of them, to the point where I will walk up 40 flights of stairs just to avoid taking the lift,” Jodie, who boasts 216,000 followers on Instagram, told What’s The Jam.
“My friends all think I’m mad.
“One time, I made them walk down 20 floors after we left a Las Vegas Club.
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“People don’t invite me, or uninvite me altogether when they hear about my phobia.
“They tell me: ‘You may not want to come as there is a lift’ or ‘I was going to invite you, but it’s on the rooftop and I don’t think there are stairs.’
“Or they will just simply not invite me to something other members of my friendship group are at.
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“I’ll only realise after it’s because it was somewhere where there was a lift needed to be taken.
“It’s really rubbish and sometimes I’ll try my best to power through, but a lot of the time, I just can’t.
“On one of my birthdays, all my friends got in a lift to go to a rooftop bar and I just walked up the stairs alone.”
Jodie says her fear started when she was stuck in a lift while on holiday as a child and again a few years ago on her way to a job interview.
Even her son, Koa, two, has to deal with his mum’s antics to avoid taking the easy route up.
She said: “With my son, I usually put his pram in the lift and carry him up or down the stairs.
“Obviously there are times when the pram will arrive before we do, or there will be other people in the lift and they will think I’m nuts.
“We’ve lost a few prams because of this – but I’m not surprised.
“Recently, I ended up at a different part of the airport to the pram, which resulted in me having to wait 40 minutes to be escorted back.
“I think my son [will make] his own choice, but if he has the same fears I do, I’d advise him to [take the stairs] but if he doesn’t, I’m not going to worry.”
Jodie, who previously admitted to spending £30,000 on luxury holidays in one year, says that she’s also had to make up excuses at events to avoid looking “weird” around other influencers.
The mum-of-one said: “I went on an influencer hotel trip a few months ago and I had to keep pretending to be on the phone and making calls.
“Then I would secretly take the stairs so they didn’t think I was really strange, as I didn’t know them that well.
“I just fear that my life is in someone else’s, or something else’s, hands and not my own.
“I feel so out of control and like I’m in a living hell when stepping into a lift.
“I’ve also watched the Final Destination films a few too many times.”
The mum, who is bringing out a new song titled ‘Another Night’, has previously hit headlines after revealing that she’s often “trolled” for her lavish lifestyle, including trips away on her own.
She added: “I still have an identity, I’m the sole breadwinner and I want to continue on with my career.
“I go on work trips for a maximum of three days and often, I’m juggling everything like an octopus.
“I’ve heard through the grapevine that people say I should focus on just raising my child, but money doesn’t grow on trees.
“The people who judge me aren’t usually parents themselves yet, so they can’t really have an opinion.
“More often than not, they’re just jealous of me and my ability not to conform.
“But that’s their problem, not mine.”
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