Fifteen surprising facts about some of the world's biggest celebrities

Kim Kardashian hates cardboard and pays someone to remove the sleeve from her Starbucks takeaway cup. Photo / Getty Images

Ah celebrities ... they're just like the rest of us. Except some of them, who really, really aren't.

In today's world, with social media and 24/7 live news updates, it's easy to think we know everything about our favourite famous people. Some things, however, can elude us for years.

We've rounded up some of the strangest and most surprising facts about the world's best known celebrities.

1. Simon Cowell worked as a runner in Stanley Kubrick's classic movie The Shining. He reportedly polished Jack Nicholson's axe.

2. Shakira speaks six languages: her native Spanish, English, Italian, French, Arabic and Portuguese.

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3. WWE superstar John Cena has granted more than 400 wishes, through the Make-a-Wish foundation - more than anyone in the charity's history.

4. The man with one of the most iconic voices in film, James Earl Jones, had a severe stutter as a child. He was so ashamed of it he went silent for nearly eight entire years.

5. Tom Hanks has an obsession with typewriters. He owns more than 250 typewriters and is said to write letters to his fans on them.

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6. Kim Kardashian has staff to remove the cardboard sleeve from her Starbucks coffee cup. She says she "cringes from the sound" of the sleeve so pays someone to remove it for her.

7. Bono once paid US$1,200 for a plane ticket for his hat. The hat had its own seat in first class on a British Airways flight to Italy for a charity concert Bono was performing at.

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8. Taylor Swift's first job was at the family's Christmas-themed business, shaking off bugs from Christmas trees.

9. Elvis Presley was a natural blond. His iconic black hair was the result of years of black dye, which he thought gave him an edgier look.

10. Lady Gaga has spent thousands of dollars on ghostbusters, including a ghost-detecting machine. She is terrified of ghosts and reportedly believes she is the reincarnated spirit of her dead aunt.

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11. Lindsey Lohan, once troubled teenager, is now living her best life, away from her old troubles. She lives in Greece at the Lohan Beach Club.

12. Justin Timberlake's mum was Ryan Gosling's legal guardian for six months while the two were in the Micky Mouse Club.

13. Former One Direction member Liam Payne has a phobia of spoons.

14. Christopher Walken worked as a lion tamer in a circus when he was a teenager.

15. Home Alone star Macauly Caulkin has a band and they only sing Velvet Underground parodies about pizza.

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