Gwyneth's germ warfare

Showbiz

13:30 15 November 2005

Gwyneth Paltrow won't let anybody touch her daughter Apple - unless they scrub their hands with anti-bacterial soap.

The stunning actress, who is married to Coldplay star Chris Martin, is reportedly so afraid of germs she insists anyone handling Apple use a special soap first.

A close friend of Gwyneth said: "She's always been pretty clean-obsessed, but recently it's reached a whole new level."

It has also been revealed, the Oscar-winning beauty is so paranoid about bacteria she never uses public toilets, takes her own brush to the hairdressers and scrubs the bathrooms at hotels where she is staying before washing, according to America's Star magazine.

Gwyneth is also said to keep a germ free home, insisting all visitors take off their shoes.

The actress' spokesman has confirmed Gwyneth allows no shoes in her home and says she was paranoid of germ-carrying visitors when Apple was first born.

However, he insists the 'Shakespeare In Love' star is not a "germophobe".

(c) BANG Media International