A woman so allergic to the scent of Christmas that even “smelling a mince pie could kill [her]” almost died after a festive trip to a garden centre sparked an asthma attack. Anne Murray, 61, an engineer who lives alone in Lanark, Scotland, was diagnosed with severe asthma as a baby and has been allergic to traditional festive staples such as citrus and cinnamon since she was a child. According to the NHS, severe asthma means the condition is uncontrolled even when sufferers are taking their medication. When they are exposed to an allergen that irritates the airways, it can trigger asthma symptoms. Murray realised the seriousness of her condition at the age of 11 when her mother, Mary, collapsed and died from an asthma attack at the age of 34. Seven years later, Murray’s childhood best friend, Julia, also died from an asthma attack. Both deaths made her “live life to the full” and she has since done a bungee jump and travelled the globe. Murray had a near-death experience herself in November 2016 when she smelt “pine cones impregnated with citrus” in a garden centre. “I had difficulty breathing,” she recalled. “I grabbed my inhaler and ran quickly out of the garden centre.” On the drive home, her condition worsened. “It felt like someone was sitting on my chest.” Once home, she used her nebuliser – a device that enables her to breathe by giving her medicine as a mist – but could not get to sleep that night as she kept coughing, and whenever she laid down, it felt like she was “choking”. Two days later, and still struggling to breathe, she visited her GP and was barely able to stand up. An ambulance was called straight away, and Murray was given oxygen and strong nebulisers, before returning home with seven days’ worth of steroids. “They all told me it was a close call so it was lucky I had my nebuliser on me.” Since that incident, Murray has finished her Christmas shopping by September to avoid being near festive smells in shopping centres, and often turns down invites to Christmas parties. “It can be quite isolating,” she says. “If friends want to go out around Christmas, I have to ask them to go to different places where I know are safe. I can’t eat or be anywhere near things that smell like Christmas, or eat anything Christmassy like mince pies and stollen cake – I don’t touch them with a 10-foot barge pole. Just smelling a mince pie could kill me. So many things have Christmassy spices that you wouldn’t normally think of, too.” Following the dual losses of her mother and best friend, Murray learnt that she would have to make day-to-day adjustments to her life in order to maintain her own safety. When travelling, she often has to call the airline in advance to request that passengers only eat or peel oranges once they get off the plane. She also has to inform all her work colleagues not to wear festive perfume in the office. “I wish shops would put up signs saying they have festive scents in store,” she adds. “It would be so helpful for me, and stop them getting complaints too.” Today, she makes sure to keep her own Christmas planning low-key. “I don’t go anywhere near supermarkets and that sort of thing – it’s not worth the risk,” she says. “It can be embarrassing a lot of the time – if I go to a restaurant and tell them about my allergies, I get turned away and we have to find somewhere else to go. Or, I get loads of staff around me and I just don’t want the attention.” This year, Murray is looking forward to spending Christmas Day alone and visiting her dad, Archie, and stepmum, Alice, in Scotland. She says: “I still like Christmas, and I’m excited to be on my own this year – I can put my feet up and watch the telly, and eat whatever I want.” Read More Beauty advent calendars 2021: Our guide to this year’s top treats 13 best tech gifts to spoil a gadget geek this Christmas 10 best luxury Christmas crackers for dressing up your dining table Revealed: Healthy mental health patients trapped in hospitals for years Major study focuses on key lifestyle change that can add decade to life expectancy Paris Hilton opens up about welcoming ‘angel’ baby London: ‘I’m loving my mom era’

PCMag has been writing about identity theft for almost 20 years, and LifeLock has been

Nvidia is offering three months of free gaming on two different game streaming platforms to

As Apple's iOS 17 rolls out to more and more devices, local police and TikTok

A Mercedes team member is desperately trying to salvage his lost wedding ring after being thrown into Yas Marina after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. As is often the case following the final race of the season, the team member was chucked into Yas Marina following Sunday’s grand prix. However, disaster struck when he lost his wedding ring and now he has employed the help of a diver – armed with a metal detector and a sieve – in an attempt to retrieve it. A group of freelance reporters, present at the Yas Marina Circuit for the post-season tyre test on Tuesday, told the story on Twitter/X. However, after an hour-long search, which included issues with the metal detector, all that was found was a knife. Those present on-site added that the team member plans to enlist the help of a group of local people in the coming days in order to retrieve the ring. Mercedes finished the 2023 season on Sunday by claiming second in the constructors’ championship – but there was little to celebrate after their first winless season in 12 years. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, has now gone two years without winning a race. “If we are able to give him [Lewis] a car, he will be fighting for a world championship,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. “I have no doubt. But it is clear if you have a car like we have now, you are not at ease with it. “Red Bull started the new regulations in 2022 with a massive advantage and they have been able to maintain it. “We have a lot of respect for their achievements – from the engineering side, and the driver – and beating them under the current regulations is against the odds. Mount Everest is in front of us.” The 2024 F1 season starts on March 2 with a Saturday night opening race, the Bahrain Grand Prix. Read More Michael Masi could return to F1 despite 2021 Abu Dhabi finale ‘Sexism, please! Do they have anything else?’ FIA boss denies misogyny accusations F1 fans spark chaos and launch bottles of prosecco in Abu Dhabi brawl IndyCar champion admits breaching McLaren contract in £18m lawsuit over F1 seat Verstappen rewrote history books in 2023 – but his dominance stretches way beyond F1 Lando Norris slams Sergio Perez after collision: ‘It’s nothing new’

Rivian has launched a leasing program for certain pre-configured models of its fully electric pickup

French authorities have arrested the leader of a multinational tantric yoga organization on suspicion of indoctrinating female followers for sexual exploitation

More than 50 years after it first aired, A Charlie Brown Christmas remains one of

Tech toys are always going to be a hot item going into the holidays, but

European police say they’ve dismantled a ransomware group in Ukraine that was behind a series

The days of venturing out to Best Buy or Walmart on Thanksgiving night to grab

What’s the most valuable thing you own? Your car? Your home? Those are sure to