Wolf Files: Celebrity Phobias

Dec. 16, 2003 -- -- — We've all got irrational fears. Most of us just don't have the money to afford 12 boxes of Kleenex like germ-phobic billionaire Howard Hughes.

But in a time when celebrity obsession is running at an all-time high, it's interesting to note that some stars have obsessions even more bizarre than our own.

You'd think Bill Bob Thornton's only fear might be ex-wife Angelina Jolie. But Thornton's got so many phobias, he makes Woody Allen look like Russell Crowe.

Like a lot of people, Thornton struggles with aviophobia (fear of flying) and chromophobia (fear of bright colors). But what do you call the fear of antiques? The Bad Santa star refuses to stay in a room with furniture built before 1950.

Fear of FearsPhobias — persistent fears that interfere with our lives — affect the lives some 14.8 million Americans to varying degrees.

If you're deathly afraid of getting married, you might suffer from gamophobia (fear of weddings), genophobia (fear of sex) or even pentheraphobia (fear of mothers-in-law).

But before you develop phobophobia (fear of fears), rest assured that most of us learn to cope with our phobias and lead relatively normal lives.

But what if you had the money to indulge your fears and idiosyncrasies? In what sort of Neverland would you live?

Would you sort clothing according to color, like European soccer star David Beckham? Click through the following pages for a look at the phobias of the rich and famous, including John Madden, Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci.