This Morning viewers were left divided on Friday after a 41-year-old woman admitted to still sleeping with her childhood teddy bear.
Hannah Ebelthite revealed she’d been snuggling up to her Paddington Bear since was two years old and still sleeps with it every night.
But her teddy is so old and well-loved he no longer actually resembles a teddy.
Eamonn Holmes held up an example of what Hannah’s teddy used to look like – and compared to what the poor old bear looks like these days.
He rather charmingly said: “It’s like an old fillet of fish you get on a Friday night with chips.”
Read more: Eamonn Holmes slammed over “insensitive comments” on This Morning
Way to insult the woman’s treasured possession, Eamonn!
“It’s the smell, the memory, the comfort, I think,” she said , when asked why she clings to what remains of her childhood toy.
“He’s always been there for me, just gradually disintegrating over the years. I think your childhood toy has always been there, it’s been a part of you.”
She added: “It’s seen me through childhood, leaving home, having children of my own. It’s been the one constant, I guess.”
Hannah said the bear is kept in her marital bed and she will cuddle him at night – even if her husband thinks it could be a health and safety hazard!
When Ruth Langsford delicately questioned how hygienic the scrap of material is, Hannah said: “My husband would agree with you. His main concern is it’s some sort of health hazard because of 1970s health standards!”
As for what she’d do if she ever lost the bear’s remains, she said: “I would be pretty devastated, I think, in the same way as if you lost your old family photos or any sort of treasure that’s always been there for you.”
Hannah was joined on the show by psychologist Bruce Hood who said it’s still unclear why some people are so attached to their childhood toys, but it’s believed to be related to early sleeping practices.
Bruce explained: “In the west we typically separate the child about one or two years old and put them in a separate sleeping cot,” he said
“I suspect that causes a degree of anxiety so they need to self-soothe and whatever they find in the crib, typically a soft toy or blanket, typically becomes part of that routine.
“It them almost becomes a living thing. They start to think about them having feelings and thoughts, and that doesn’t go away.”
Naturally, it all sparked a FIERCE debate among viewers who both agreed and disagreed with Hannah on the subject of bedding down with childhood toys once you hit adulthood.
Many admitted to being “revolted” by the remains of her bear, with one viewer comparing it to a “dirty sponge” and another saying they’d never allow it in their own bed.
Others, meanwhile, thought anyone who still slept with a teddy bear as an adult needed to “grow up”.
Another quipped: “It’s bad enough having to share with my husband without sharing with a toy as well!”
Touchingly, a string of viewers firmly on Hannah’s side flooded This Morning’s social media accounts with pictures of their own beloved childhood toys – all still very much in use!
How cute are those bears?
And all in, er, slightly better shape than Hannah’s…
Read more: Star of The Chase strips off on Loose Women
One viewer summed up the whole debate about adults clinging on to childhood toys rather well, simply tweeting: “Each to their own we all need a little comfort in our lives.”
We agree.