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A man has claimed he is allergic to UKIP leader Nigel Farage – claiming the mere sight of him leaves him sweating and shaking.

Richard Howarth, 35, of Milton Keynes, gets so agitated when he sees Mr Farage on television that he has to immediately change the channel or he becomes physically ill.

The medical recruitment consultant, who has always had a keen interest in politics, said hearing Mr Farage’s voice makes him “physically sick”.

He said the lead up to the election was a terrible time for him because Mr Farage, who is standing as a candidate in Thanet South, was often on television.

(Image: PA Real Life)

He said: “It’s almost like an allergy. The symptoms are similar. When I see him on telly, I sweat a lot and become anxious.

“Thinking about how the party can affect the way my son is going to be able to live his life in the UK makes me worry.

“I end up switching over because he just infuriates me. I’m obviously allergic to Nigel Farage.”

Mr Howarth said he watched initially watched coverage of Mr Farage to educate himself on UKIP’s policies.

“At the start, I did listen to his points but in the end I couldn’t,” he said. “It was not good for my health.

“Seeing him made me weak – I had to lie down. I can’t watch him anymore. I don’t want to feel ill and anxious.”

Changing the channel usually provides instant relief, but sometimes Mr Howarth gets so frustrated thinking about Mr Farage, that it takes him hours to calm down.

“If I do something else and distract myself away from it, I’m fine but otherwise it can be a couple of hours because I think about the effects of him coming into power,” he said.

Mr Howarth’s wife Catherine, 32, has also told of his reaction.

“He has to turn the TV off or change channels because both seeing and hearing Nigel’s voice makes him physically sick,” she admitted, saying she had sympathy for her husband’s unusual symptoms.

“He gets anxious and irritable and his hands shake.

“When he does turn over his symptoms continue for a while as he continues to discuss Nigel’s policies and how much they sicken him.”

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Airborne allergens expert, Max Wiseberg said: “Being allergic to Nigel Farage is not impossible.

“When people are allergic to animals, it is actually the dander that come off the animal into the air to which they are allergic.

“Dander is a mixture of the particles that reside in an animal's fur or on its skin – which includes things like particles of the skin itself and particles of saliva.

“There have been cases of animals which are allergic to humans, and in these cases it has been assumed that they are allergic to human dander.

“So it is entirely possible that Mr Farage is shedding human dander to which someone could be allergic.

“It is, of course, also extremely unlikely. If this person was actually allergic to Mr Farage we might expect that they would be allergic to other people, too."