Gayle King can "never wear" clothes that have buttons because they "give [her] the creeps".

The CBS Mornings co-anchor does not know where her phobia came from.

During a conversation with actress Sarah Jessica Parker, 60, and chef Ruth Rogers, 77, in celebration of the latter's new book, Table 4 at The River Cafe: Conversations about Food and Life, at the 92NY on Wednesday (18.03.26), Gayle, 71, declared: "I do not like buttons."

Sarah asked if that meant buttons on clothes, to which the broadcaster laughed as she clarified: "Yes. They give me the creeps.

"I never wear things that have buttons. I can do snaps. Those little white tiny buttons just give me the creeps. I don't know where it comes from, but I just don't like them."

Gayle revealed her fear of buttons in an interview with The Cut in 2013.

She said: "Everybody has something that just sort of seems unusual, and does nothing to other people, but it scares us.

"I don't like buttons. I know; it's so stupid. I just don't like how they feel. Watch what I wear - I very, very seldom wear anything with buttons.

"And if I am, then they have to be covered."

However, Gayle does not mind the "big brass" closures, which can be found on jeans.

Meanwhile, the TV personality's 72-year-old pal, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, has a fear of balloons - globophobia.

In the October 2013 issue of her O magazine, Oprah explained: "I don't like them because it reminds me of gunfire.

"And perhaps somewhere in my life or in a past childhood, I must've had something to do with gunfire, because it just really freaks me out being around balloons."

The star also shared when she had to face her phobia when taping The Oprah Winfrey Show - a story used as a metaphor to highlight that people should overcome their fears.

Oprah recalled: "For my 40th birthday, my entire staff decided to surprise me. And I come downstairs, and the entire audience is filled with balloons. Literally, I'm stepping over balloons, having to walk through balloons.

"And I'm so like 'When is one going to pop?' It was an anxiety-filled day."