Eddie Redmayne embarrassed by cat allergy

Eddie Redmayne is "embarrassed" to be allergic to cats.

The ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them’ actor thinks it is "awful" that he has to take medication whenever he comes into contact with a furry feline in order to ward off reaction symptoms, which typically include itchy eyes and sneezing.

He admitted: "I’m really allergic to cats, which is a bit awful. It’s really embarrassing, whenever you’re near a cat to have to take an antihistamine."

While the 34-year-old actor may be a huge star now, his career "low point" came after university when he was working in hospitality and was one of the staff members at the British Soap Awards.

He recalled: "Basically, the guests would come into one studio and you’d feed them alcohol to get them really drunk, then you’d get them into another studio to watch the soap awards, the idea being that they were super rowdy and that made great television. On their way into the other studio they had to hand their empties in, and all the guys from ‘Hollyoaks’ piled theirs on my tray.

"I remember one of them went, ‘Check this out!’ and put another one on top and I said, ‘Please don’t…’ And they smashed over. I remember feeling pretty deathly.

"[Who was it?] I can’t remember. I’ve got a visual … I think they’re long gone."

Eddie’s role as magizoologist Newt Scamander in ‘Fantastic Beasts…’ is a dream come true for the actor as he was once determined to land a role in the ‘Harry Potter’ movie series, and even auditioned to play the young Voldemort, Tom Riddle, in ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’, a role which ultimately went to Christian Coulson.

He told Esquire magazine: "It was with the apprentice of the apprentice of the apprentice of the casting director and I didn’t get beyond that first audition.

"And then I had years of slightly thinking there might be a role in a Weasley … I kind of loved Ron. I don’t know why."