Kerry Trebilcock, 21, suffers from a condition called pica, The Sun reported. The disorder has caused her to eat more than 100 bars of soap and more than 4,000 washing up sponges.

Kerry's eating habits changed after a holiday to Morocco in 2008, during which she picked up an infection of hookworm.

Kerry, a dental nurse from Mylor, Cornwall, said: "After one dinner where I ate a double helping of lasagna and a tub of ice cream, I still felt hungry."

"To distract myself, I decided to wash the dishes. I took out a new sponge from a packet and had an overwhelming desire to eat it. I sat down with a glass of water and chewed the sponge until it was gone. Finally my hunger was gone and my stomach felt satisfied."

The next morning, as she washed herself with lemon and lime soap, she had an urge to eat some and swallowed a chunk.