I eat 2 pounds of raw meat a day — it led to a bizarre, antibiotic-resistant infection — but I’m ‘immune’
Wendy Marshall eats raw ground beef at her nail salon, horrifying manicurists and patrons alike, on Wednesday’s season premiere of TLC’s “My Strange Addiction.” Courtesy of TLC
Florida tattoo shop owner Wendy Marshall has an unusual and unsettling habit: she eats raw meat every day — roughly two pounds of it. Ground beef, deli cuts, whole roasts, porterhouse steaks — the bloodier, the better.
“I love ripping the flesh straight off the bone,” said Marshall, 28, before popping a marbled piece of raw steak into her mouth in a clip from Wednesday’s My Strange Addiction premiere, shared exclusively with The Post. A loud, unapologetic burp followed.
Eating raw meat is not unheard of. Some cultures have long-standing traditions that include raw beef, such as Ethiopia’s kitfo, France’s steak tartare, and Italy’s carpaccio. Even a few celebrities have admitted to dabbling. But experts say Marshall’s diet goes far beyond cultural custom — and into dangerous territory.
Health professionals warn that raw meat can carry harmful bacteria including salmonella, listeria, campylobacter, and E. coli, as well as parasites like trichinella. Marshall’s habits also raise hygiene concerns.
In one scene from the episode, she is shown at a nail salon eating raw ground beef straight from its packaging, pulled from her purse. The nail technician was so disturbed that she refused to continue the manicure.
“I do understand that it’s not socially acceptable to eat raw meat,” Marshall said. “People gag or look at me crazy, but I don’t care.”
Marshall traced her habit back to childhood, saying she bonded with her grandmother by eating raw meat together. “We’d talk about life and just eat the raw meat,” she said. Her grandmother died five years ago from bladder cancer.
Marshall’s partner, Robert, does not share her taste for raw meat, and neither does his family. At a cookout featured on the show, relatives expressed visible disgust as Marshall bit into a raw steak.
“It’s hard to accept someone who eats raw meat at the dinner table,” one family member said.
Those concerns led Marshall to consult nurse practitioner Vanessa Cabrera, who found evidence of a chronic E. coli infection in Marshall’s colon through a stool sample.
“Typically, someone with this would have nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever,” Cabrera explained. “The fact that you don’t suggests it’s been present so long that your body has adapted.”
Cabrera warned the bacteria may be resistant to antibiotics, which could make future illnesses far more dangerous.
Marshall admitted the news was frightening and said she planned to make healthier choices — but not quit raw meat entirely.
“I’m not going to stop eating raw meat,” she said. “But I won’t eat raw ground meat anymore, even if it’s grass-fed. I want to be here for my kids and my family.”
Marshall later told The Post that she has avoided raw ground beef since filming but hasn’t ruled out eating it again. She said she has experienced no physical symptoms and believes her long-term exposure has made her immune.
“My Strange Addiction,” which returned after a 10-year hiatus, airs Wednesdays on TLC at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Episodes are available to stream the next day on HBO Max.
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