Viral
Kate Plummer
May 22, 2022
Indy
A woman has recounted the moment her Gwyneth Paltrow vagina candle exploded in her house and caused a major kerfuffle.
Writing in the Guardian, Jody Thompson explained that she won the candle in a work quiz and decided to test it out.
"I live in a tiny one-bed flat in London with my partner, David, and our two cats. I love scented candles and throughout the latest lockdown, their warming flame and fragrance have given me a little joy in the evenings.I trimmed the wick as instructed and put it on a candle coaster in our front room. It smelled really nice – of bergamot, cedarwood and rose."
All good? Not really. She continued: "The next night, however, all hell was unleashed. A few minutes after I lit the candle, it exploded. Flames roared half a metre out of the jar and bits of molten wax flew out as it fizzed and spat. We couldn’t get near it to blow it out as the flames were so ferocious, and we didn’t want to throw water on it for fear of splashing molten wax everywhere. Luckily, I had placed it on concrete, at the base of what was once a fireplace.
"David and I panicked, trying to figure out what to do. We were relieved the cats were safe, asleep in our bedroom. Thankfully, after what seemed like an age, but was probably no more than five minutes, the flames subsided and I could blow the candle out. The charred jar and melted label were testament to how hot it had become."
Phew.
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She explained she posted an Instagram about the incident when it happened last year in January and ended up getting press coverage.
"By the end of the day, the story had appeared on news sites in New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, India, Indonesia, the Philippines. It was a top trending story on Twitter in the UK.
She said that "even the London fire brigade tweeted" to warn people about using the candle safely.
And "a concerned Goop HQ got in touch, offering to send goodies by way of an apology. But sadly, I didn’t hear from Gwyneth herself.
"My Goop package of body and skincare products recently arrived; thankfully, it contained nothing combustible. The acrid smell of Gwyneth’s exploding vagina candle isn’t something I’m keen to relive – but I am still laughing about it."
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