Rupert Grint has arachnophobia

Rupert Grint suffers from arachnophobia just like his Harry Potter character Ron Weasley.

The 22-year-old actor whose alter-ego in the wizard franchise has been scared of spiders ever since his older brothers Fred and George played a prank on him when he was younger is so terrified of arachnids he checks his shoes every day before he puts them on to make sure there are no unwanted creepy crawlies inside.

“I’m arachnophobic. It’s really affected my life. I check my shoes every time I put them on. I check my bed sheets and pillows,” Rupert said.

“I’m going to Australia in a few weeks. I’ve never been before spiders have always stopped me.”

While Rupert may be terrified of spiders, he does have a fondness for animals, with miniature donkeys the latest additions to his family’s collection of pets.

“I suppose I’ve got some weird things. The latest thing is we’ve got miniature donkeys. They’re just like normal donkeys, but kind of half the size. We’ve just got two Shakespeare and Pandora  just as pets. I’ve got miniature pigs as well, and miniature hedgehogs,” he said.

“We’ve also got dogs and cats and a parrot and peacocks. I live in the country, really. Just outside London. There’s a few acres. They’ve got some good space.”