Angela Merkel, who served as chancellor of Germany from 2005-2021, released her memoir 'Freedom' in November 2024. The book revisited a widely-covered incident from 2007 when she met with Vladimir Putin in Sochi. Knowing that the Russian president was in the habit of bringing out his pets during visits with foreign diplomats, she asked one of his aides to prevent this as she had a fear of dogs. Despite the agreement, Putin brought out his black labrador, Koni, during their meeting in front of a room full of photographers and journalists. "Did he just want to see how a person reacts in distress? Was it a small demonstration of power? I just thought: stay calm, concentrate on the photographers, it will pass," Merkel wrote.

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Angela Merkel -

When asked about that decision in an interview after the book's release, Putin denied any awareness of Merkel's phobia. "Frankly - I've already told Merkel, I didn't know she was afraid of dogs. If I'd known, I would never have done it. On the contrary I wanted to create a relaxed, pleasant atmosphere," he claimed. Russian journalists smirked as he appealed to Merkel for forgiveness.

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Kim Basinger -

Kim Basinger opened up about her struggle with agoraphobia on an episode of 'Red Table Talk.' The actress revealed that it began as a child as she observed her mom dealing with severe anxiety. Basinger felt like she always needed to be home with her mom to protect her and help her, and would even make up excuses to get out of school so she could do so. She developed anxiety problems herself with evolved into agoraphobia as she got older. Agoraphobia is defined as an "anxiety disorder in which you fear and avoid places or situations that might cause you to panic and make you feel trapped, helpless, or embarrassed." For many, this means becoming reclusive and avoiding going out in public.

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Kim Basinger - Basinger recalled an incident where she started to have a panic attack while buying groceries at the store and barely made it back to her car. After that, she didn't drive again for more than six months. She eventually stopped doing things like going out for dinner, and eventually, stopped leaving the house at all. "Everything used to make me nervous,” Basinger remembered, "You live with a dry mouth all the time, you’re very shaky, you’re just so exhausted all the time." She spent months in treatment and slowly relearned how to drive, go outside, and interact with people again. Basinger credits her daughter, Ireland Baldwin, with helping her heal and come out of her shell again.

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Taylor Swift - The country star is afraid of sea urchins.

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Taylor Swift - "They are sitting there, waiting to completely injure you... You could lose your foot. You could lose your hand. You could lose your hand trying to get it off of your foot!" she told Ellen DeGeneres.

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Rihanna - Rihanna suffers from ichthyophobia, or the fear of fish.

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Rihanna - In fact, she has said that she is afraid of sea creatures in general. She says that one time in Barbados she "saw all these tiny fish swimming around my feet, and I had a panic attack. I just froze."

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Anthony Bourdain - The late chef and TV personality may have had the strangest fear of all: Switzerland. That's right, he refused to film in the country famous for peace.

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Anthony Bourdain - “I must have had some terrible childhood experience while watching 'Sound of Music' that I blocked out," he once said.

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Orlando Bloom - The actor is afraid of pigs, sometimes called swinophobia.

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Orlando Bloom - On the set of his movie 'Kingdom of Heaven,' a pig reportedly escaped, causing the actor to freak out. Bloom reportedly stayed in a van until the animal handlers put the pig back into the cage.

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Johnny Depp - The actor reportedly suffers from coulrophobia, the irrational fear of clowns.

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Johnny Depp - “It’s impossible, thanks to their painted-on smiles, to distinguish if they are happy or if they are about to bite your face off," Depp has said of his phobia.

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Tyra Banks - The former model and TV personality is afraid of dolphins.

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Tyra Banks - She has said she's been afraid of them since she was eight or nine. "You may think a dolphin is sweet and cuddly — to me, they're not. And I feel anxiety and panic whenever I'm confronting or even thinking about or talking about a dolphin."

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Justin Timberlake - The former NSYNC star suffers from arachnophobia, or the fear of spiders.

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Justin Timberlake - Arachnophobia is one of the most common phobias out there.

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Kelly Osbourne - Osbourne is afraid of being touched, a fear known as haphephobia.

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Kelly Osbourne - Her brother said that "All you have to do is just touch her collarbone. It’s awesome, she starts dry-retching.”

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Oprah Winfrey - Oprah suffers from a rather unusual phobia: chiclephobia, or the fear of chewing gum. This rare phobia includes the fear of chewing gum, coming close to a person chewing gum, or the sight of previously chewed gum.

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Oprah Winfrey - Oprah has said she once threw out the plate a guest had used at her house because the person had placed chewing gum on it.

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Billy Bob Thornton - The actor and musician's phobia is a strange one: furniturephobia, or the fear of antique furniture.

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Billy Bob Thornton - He has said that his "phobias have been greatly exaggerated. I don’t mind a chair. I can go as far back as you want with Asia or Mexico. It’s that French/English/Scottish old mildewy stuff. Old dusty heavy drapes and big tables with lions’ heads carved in it. Stuff that kings were around."

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Megan Fox - The actress suffers from bacteriophobia, or the irrational fear of germs.

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Megan Fox - Fox has said she avoids using public restrooms and using restaurant silverware at all costs.

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Megan Fox - Fox also doesn't like the dark. She has said: "I’ve been afraid of the dark all my life… I leave the lights on all the time and if the light is off, I have to run across the room to get to the switch."

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Tom Cruise - The actor is reportedly afraid of going bald. This is an actual phobia, named peladophobia.

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Tom Cruise - The actor has reportedly undertaken treatment to prevent hair loss, which may be surprising considering he has a full head of hair.

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Harrison Ford - The actor has a fear of public speaking.

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Harrison Ford - To him, public speaking is "a mixed bag of terror and anxiety." He experiences the same feelings even when a character he is playing must make a speech.

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Madonna - The Queen of Pop suffers from astraphobia, or the fear of thunder.

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Madonna - Madonna reportedly checks the forecast before performing outdoors.

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Kim Kardashian - Like Timberlake, the TV star also suffers from arachnophobia.

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Kim Kardashian - She has admitted that she will fly out of rooms shedding her clothes at the sight of a spider.

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Scarlett Johansson - The actress suffers from ornithophobia, or the fear of birds.

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Scarlett Johansson - "Something about wings and beaks and the flapping… I’m terrified of them," she has said.

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Christina Ricci - Another strange one on the list. The actress is freaked out by house plants.

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Christina Ricci - She thinks they're dirty and just looking at them gives her the willies.

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Matthew McConaughey - The actor really dislikes tunnels, which could be a symptom of claustrophobia, the fear of being in small spaces.

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Matthew McConaughey - "I really don’t like that blindspot when you’re driving and go into a tunnel,” he said.

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Adele - We've all heard about the fear of birds, but the singer-songwriter fears a very specific one: seagulls.

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Adele - She has described an incident in which she was attacked by a seagull as she ate an ice cream, which is the reason behind her fear.

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Keanu Reeves - 'The Matrix' actor suffers from scotophobia, or the fear of darkness.

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Keanu Reeves - He said that he is afraid of the dark "in a real philosophical way.”

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Jennifer Aniston - The 'Friends' star suffers from aviophobia, or the fear of flying.

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Jennifer Aniston -

Aniston has said that it can be so intense that she resorts to alcohol for help, which doesn't even really help.

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Britney Spears - The Princess of Pop has herpetophobia, or the aversion to reptiles.

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Britney Spears - This is one of the common animal phobias.

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David Beckham - The former soccer star suffers from ataxophobia, or the fear of untidiness.

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David Beckham - He sorts things by “color, size and quantity.” When he enters a hotel room, he has to move all the leaflets and all the books and put them in a drawer before he can relax.

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Kristen Stewart - The actress is afraid of horses.

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Kristen Stewart - Her fear has roots in a childhood accident when she fell off one and dislocated her elbow.

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Pamela Anderson -

The 'Baywatch' star suffers from eisoptrophobia, which is the fear of mirrors or seeing oneself in a mirror.

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Pamela Anderson - She has been quoted saying: “I have this phobia: I don’t like mirrors. And I don’t watch myself on television. If anything comes on, I make them shut it off, or I leave the room.”

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Nicole Kidman - The actress has lepidopterophobia, or the fear of butterflies.

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Nicole Kidman - "It's so bizarre. I'm not afraid of snakes or spiders. But I'm scared of butterflies," she once said.

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Hilary Duff - The actress and singer is said to hate dirt, which is similar to being afraid of germs.

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Hilary Duff - She reportedly can't get into bed before cleaning her room several times.

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Robert De Niro - The actor has dentophobia, or a fear of dentists.

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Robert De Niro - De Niro believes that dentistry equipment can and will cause diseases.

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Sarah Michelle Gellar - The vampire slayer is afraid of cemeteries.

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Sarah Michelle Gellar -

Her fear arises mainly because she is also afraid of being buried alive, so she has always associated cemeteries with that.

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Angela Merkel -

Getty Images

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Angela Merkel -

Getty Images

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Kim Basinger -

Getty Images

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Taylor Swift - The country star is afraid of sea urchins.

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Rihanna - Rihanna suffers from ichthyophobia, or the fear of fish.

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Anthony Bourdain - The late chef and TV personality may have had the strangest fear of all: Switzerland. That's right, he refused to film in the country famous for peace.

9 / 64 Fotos

Anthony Bourdain - “I must have had some terrible childhood experience while watching 'Sound of Music' that I blocked out," he once said.

10 / 64 Fotos

Orlando Bloom - The actor is afraid of pigs, sometimes called swinophobia.

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Johnny Depp - The actor reportedly suffers from coulrophobia, the irrational fear of clowns.

13 / 64 Fotos

Johnny Depp - “It’s impossible, thanks to their painted-on smiles, to distinguish if they are happy or if they are about to bite your face off," Depp has said of his phobia.

14 / 64 Fotos

Tyra Banks - The former model and TV personality is afraid of dolphins.

15 / 64 Fotos

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Justin Timberlake - The former NSYNC star suffers from arachnophobia, or the fear of spiders.

17 / 64 Fotos

Justin Timberlake - Arachnophobia is one of the most common phobias out there.

18 / 64 Fotos

Kelly Osbourne - Osbourne is afraid of being touched, a fear known as haphephobia.

19 / 64 Fotos

Kelly Osbourne - Her brother said that "All you have to do is just touch her collarbone. It’s awesome, she starts dry-retching.”

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Oprah Winfrey - Oprah has said she once threw out the plate a guest had used at her house because the person had placed chewing gum on it.

22 / 64 Fotos

Billy Bob Thornton - The actor and musician's phobia is a strange one: furniturephobia, or the fear of antique furniture.

23 / 64 Fotos

24 / 64 Fotos

Megan Fox - The actress suffers from bacteriophobia, or the irrational fear of germs.

25 / 64 Fotos

Megan Fox - Fox has said she avoids using public restrooms and using restaurant silverware at all costs.

26 / 64 Fotos

27 / 64 Fotos

Tom Cruise - The actor is reportedly afraid of going bald. This is an actual phobia, named peladophobia.

28 / 64 Fotos

Tom Cruise - The actor has reportedly undertaken treatment to prevent hair loss, which may be surprising considering he has a full head of hair.

29 / 64 Fotos

Harrison Ford - The actor has a fear of public speaking.

30 / 64 Fotos

Harrison Ford - To him, public speaking is "a mixed bag of terror and anxiety." He experiences the same feelings even when a character he is playing must make a speech.

31 / 64 Fotos

Madonna - The Queen of Pop suffers from astraphobia, or the fear of thunder.

32 / 64 Fotos

Madonna - Madonna reportedly checks the forecast before performing outdoors.

33 / 64 Fotos

Kim Kardashian - Like Timberlake, the TV star also suffers from arachnophobia.

34 / 64 Fotos

Kim Kardashian - She has admitted that she will fly out of rooms shedding her clothes at the sight of a spider.

35 / 64 Fotos

Scarlett Johansson - The actress suffers from ornithophobia, or the fear of birds.

36 / 64 Fotos

Scarlett Johansson - "Something about wings and beaks and the flapping… I’m terrified of them," she has said.

37 / 64 Fotos

Christina Ricci - Another strange one on the list. The actress is freaked out by house plants.

38 / 64 Fotos

Christina Ricci - She thinks they're dirty and just looking at them gives her the willies.

39 / 64 Fotos

Matthew McConaughey - The actor really dislikes tunnels, which could be a symptom of claustrophobia, the fear of being in small spaces.

40 / 64 Fotos

Matthew McConaughey - "I really don’t like that blindspot when you’re driving and go into a tunnel,” he said.

41 / 64 Fotos

Adele - We've all heard about the fear of birds, but the singer-songwriter fears a very specific one: seagulls.

42 / 64 Fotos

Adele - She has described an incident in which she was attacked by a seagull as she ate an ice cream, which is the reason behind her fear.

43 / 64 Fotos

Keanu Reeves - 'The Matrix' actor suffers from scotophobia, or the fear of darkness.

44 / 64 Fotos

Keanu Reeves - He said that he is afraid of the dark "in a real philosophical way.”

45 / 64 Fotos

Jennifer Aniston - The 'Friends' star suffers from aviophobia, or the fear of flying.

46 / 64 Fotos

Jennifer Aniston -

Aniston has said that it can be so intense that she resorts to alcohol for help, which doesn't even really help.

Getty Images

47 / 64 Fotos

Britney Spears - The Princess of Pop has herpetophobia, or the aversion to reptiles.

48 / 64 Fotos

Britney Spears - This is one of the common animal phobias.

49 / 64 Fotos

David Beckham - The former soccer star suffers from ataxophobia, or the fear of untidiness.

50 / 64 Fotos

David Beckham - He sorts things by “color, size and quantity.” When he enters a hotel room, he has to move all the leaflets and all the books and put them in a drawer before he can relax.

51 / 64 Fotos

Kristen Stewart - The actress is afraid of horses.

52 / 64 Fotos

Kristen Stewart - Her fear has roots in a childhood accident when she fell off one and dislocated her elbow.

53 / 64 Fotos

Pamela Anderson -

The 'Baywatch' star suffers from eisoptrophobia, which is the fear of mirrors or seeing oneself in a mirror.

Getty Images

54 / 64 Fotos

55 / 64 Fotos

Nicole Kidman - The actress has lepidopterophobia, or the fear of butterflies.

56 / 64 Fotos

Nicole Kidman - "It's so bizarre. I'm not afraid of snakes or spiders. But I'm scared of butterflies," she once said.

57 / 64 Fotos

Hilary Duff - The actress and singer is said to hate dirt, which is similar to being afraid of germs.

58 / 64 Fotos

Hilary Duff - She reportedly can't get into bed before cleaning her room several times.

59 / 64 Fotos

Robert De Niro - The actor has dentophobia, or a fear of dentists.

60 / 64 Fotos

Robert De Niro - De Niro believes that dentistry equipment can and will cause diseases.

61 / 64 Fotos

Sarah Michelle Gellar - The vampire slayer is afraid of cemeteries.

62 / 64 Fotos

Sarah Michelle Gellar -

Her fear arises mainly because she is also afraid of being buried alive, so she has always associated cemeteries with that.

63 / 64 Fotos

Celebrities worst phobias

Some famous figures suffer from common phobias

28/04/25 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Phobias

Fear is a normal human emotion we all experience, and the famous and powerful are no different. While some famous figures suffer from more common phobias, others experience some rather unique fears.

Browse the gallery and check for yourself.