A mother-of-five has been diagnosed with a rare disorder called Pica after seeking medical help for her addiction… to eating sofas.
Adele Edwards, of Bradenton, Florida, has been eating the foam inside couch cushions for 21 years.
She sought help when the cravings started getting out of control.
Miss Edwards, 31, said: ‘In the last year I’ve eaten seven sofas.
‘I unzip the cushions and snack on the foam inside. And once I start I just can’t stop.
‘But now doctors have told me that if I carry on, my addiction will kill me.’
Pica is a disorder found most commonly in toddlers and pregnant women who lack certain nutrients, causing them to crave non-nutritive substances like chalk, coins, batteries and even dirt.
Sometimes it’s caused by stress, and Adele admits her first time happened during a very emotional period in her life, when her parents were on the brink of divorce.
She said: ‘My life was out of control at the time. I didn’t understand my parents breaking up. This was something I could control.’
When her cousin decided to chew a piece of sofa for fun, something in Adele’s head made her want to try too.
She said: ‘I was 10 years old. I liked the flavour, I liked the way it felt in my mouth. Twenty-one years later, I’ve eaten couch cushions every day since.’
Full story: Comfort food: The woman who can’t stop eating sofas