IF you are scared of clowns, the last thing you would want to see is your husband of 21 years dressing up as one for his circus job.
Moscow-born Natalia Gonchorova, 41, works as a mannequin in her husband's clown act – but her phobia means she cannot stand the sight of him once he is all dressed up. In fact, the only way she can look at him is behind sunglasses.
The couple will be performing together at the Moscow State Circus in Nottingham this week – the fifth time the circus has come to the city since it arrived in the UK in 1995.
Natalia knew that her husband, Pavel Ivanov, 43, worked at the circus, but it was only when they were married three months later that she found out he dressed up as her worst nightmare for a living.
Pavel said: "At first I was scared that she wouldn't want to stay with me."
Natalia said that her phobia stems back to a childhood event.
She said: "I had this fear from when I went to the circus for the first time. I felt very afraid of them.
"When Pavel told me I couldn't believe it."
Natalia's phobia means they cannot share the same dressing room – but the sunglasses help.
She said: "They make a barrier so it's easy to see him when he has his mask on."
