A model, who claims to be 'poo shy', has admitted that she passed out while on a photoshoot from not using the toilet for two weeks.
Fetish model, Emmerald Barwise has been modelling professionally for over eight years, but has found it difficult at times due to her fear of going to the toilet.
Though having a poo is something that we all do naturally, the conversation about taking a dump is still pretty taboo and not something people talk about lightly.
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This embarrassment around faeces talk has left Emmerald uncomfortable with nipping to the bathroom while working away from home, which has sometimes left her holding it for up to two weeks at a time.
The 36-year-old pin-up model from Wrexham has even suffered from extreme bloat at times that has made her look 'pregnant' on lingerie shoots.
She explains that she's not had a proper poo routine for as long as she can remember and it was only when her girlfriend pointed out that not defecating for up to two weeks at a time 'isn't normal'.
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After this revelation, she decided to seek help for her poo anxiety after spotting an advert for participants on the Channel 4 TV show; Know Your S**t: Inside Our Guts.
Emmerald admitted: "My issues have definitely affected my job.
"I've passed out before on shoots where I've been wearing corsets and I'm sure it was due to my issues because it hasn't happened since being on the show.
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"Also if I was really bloated I hated doing a lingerie or nude shoot it made me feel horrible.
"I decided to go on the show when my girlfriend noticed I wasn't going to the toilet regularly and she said that it wasn't normal."
She also said that she was 'totally unaware' that most people go to the toilet for a poo every day at least once, saying: "At that point I was going once a week but I'd been like that my whole life so I didn't know any different and as I was totally poo shy I'd never discussed my poo with anyone.
"I didn't seek help for so long because I had literally no idea that there was an issue. I knew that I was poo shy but that was it I didn't know people pooed more than me."
She also shared that her reluctance to poop hasn't been helped by her ADHD, explaining: "My toilet troubles all started from being very young and being poo shy from young and having ADHD and autism just made that poo shyness times 10."
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Emmerald believes that this behaviour taught her body to 'not recognise when [she] needed the toilet'.
However, thanks to help she's received on the show, she has a more positive outlook on poo and is now a much more frequent bathroom user.
She took part in a number of experiments, including eating a muffin with blue food dye to find out her 'transit time' and see how long the food took to pass through her bowels.
From avoiding toilet talk for her entire life to being more open about the taboo, Emmerald has opened up, saying: "I am still a bit poo shy however being on the show Know your S**t with Dr Sophie Medlin and the Mac twins really really helped me.
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"It really has changed my life."
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@emmeraldbarwiseTopics: TV and Film