Inside woman’s bizarre love life which saw her marry the Eiffel Tower for its ‘subtle curves’ & date a ‘fabulous’ fence

ERIKA Eiffel boasts a bizarre love life which saw her officially get married to one of the world’s most famous landmarks – the Eiffel Tower. The former soldier and archer, 54, is a proud objectophile, which means she is sexually attracted to inanimate objects – especially ones standing over 1,000ft tall in the middle of Paris. Erika Eiffel made headlines when she announced she’d married France’s Eiffel Tower in 2007 Credit: YouTube Erika seen kissing the French tourist attraction after their big day Credit: YouTube American-born Erika, whose surname was LaBrie before her big day with the French tourist attraction, held an intimate ceremony attended by a handful of friends in 2007. The San Francisco native said about her love for the tower: “Her structure is just amazing. She’s got subtle, subtle curves.” Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Recalling the moment she first felt deeply connected to the landmark, Erika said she was in a huge crowd in Paris in 2004. She said: “It’s almost like I heard her crying out, saying, ‘somebody, notice me. Somebody, really notice me’. “And then here I am in the crowd crying back, ‘hear my voice’.” The Eiffel Tower wasn’t Erika’s first love as she has also had cherished relationships with a Japanese sword and an archery bow. The sword stems from her time in the US Air Force Academy when in 1993 she was sexually assaulted by a fellow cadet. Erika bravely managed to fight off her attacker by brandishing the sharp training weapon to defend herself. Most read in The Sun The Eiffel Tower wasn’t Erika’s first love as she has also had cherished relationships with a Japanese sword and an archery bow Credit: TLC Erika held an intimate ceremony attended by a handful of friends in Paris Credit: YouTube Years later, Erika developed an obsession with archery. Her bow, named Lance, would hardly ever leave Erika’s side during a remarkable career which saw her become a world champion. In 2003, she won first place at shooting events at three National Cup tournaments. Erika then made it to Team USA and appeared at the 42nd World Target Championships in New York City a year later. In both 2004 and 2006, she was on the US National Archery Team and then the 2009 senior National Team for Olympic recurve. But for all her sporting accolades, Erika had to propose to the Eiffel Tower in order to become famous. She would become the star of several documentaries across the world as people became fascinated by her love life. Erika is one of a handful of people around the world who declare themselves as having objectophilia. After her marriage to the Eiffel Tower fizzled out, the former soldier moved on to a red fence Credit: TLC What causes people to fall in love with objects? OBJECTOPHILIA has previously been linked with types of autism, synaesthesia or past trauma – but psychotherapist and clinical sexologist Ness Cooper explains that that is not always the case. She told The Sun: “Some cases are linked to past trauma, and an individual may find it easier to link their sexuality to an object rather than to a person. “Often, these people see it as morally better to form sexual connects to objects rather than to people – they see that sexual encounters with others can come with other emotional pains and hurts, and require repair and communication which aren’t often needed when having a sexual relationship with an object. “Sometimes, someone needs a particular object to feel sexual attraction. “Often, they are aroused by objects that resemble eroticised body parts; folded sheets looking like feet, or objects looking phallic.” But other objectum-sexuals may end up sexualising an object that held importance to them when they were younger. “Some clients I’ve seen develop feelings towards a particular object that they already have a connection to,” Ness continued. “The brain makes important connections and relationships when a person is young, and therefore, it ends up being linked to having relational importance that can connect with sexuality when that person grows up.” It is not officially described as a sexual orientation but is widely accepted by researchers. The term, also known as objectum sexuality, was first coined by Eija-Riitta Berliner-Mauer who was married to the Berlin Wall for decades. Erika would quickly become the unofficial face of objectophilia globally after the Eiffel Tower marriage went viral. A musical production company even put on a show in Chicago based around Erika’s life. The show’s writer Sophie Jaff said the aim of the show was to “challenge a wide and diverse audience to explore the difficult aspects of love and ‘otherness'”. Erika would formally announce on social media that she’d broken off her 15-year marriage to Eiffel Tower after moving on to a new relationship – with a red fence. In a clip from a documentary on her life, Erika was seen straddling the spiky fence and talking to the camera about her attraction to the barrier. She said: “I did not expect to find a fence like this here at all. “He’s perfect, I mean this is the shape that I like so much. These angles? Fabulous.” Another famous objectophile is German woman Michele Köbke who claims she’s in a relationship with a huge Boeing 737-800. Another famous objectofile is German woman Michele Köbke who claims she’s in a relationship with a huge Boeing 737-800 Credit: Getty – Contributor Michele seen kissing the wing of the huge plane Credit: Getty – Contributor Michele told Barcroft TV: “The 737-800 is very attractive and sexy to me. “He’s the most beautifully built, and he’s a very attractive and elegant aircraft.” Michele regularly cuddles and sleeps with smaller model versions of the Boeing as well as various plane components she has found over the years. In 2020, Rain Gordon, 24, announced she’d married a briefcase called Gideon. She bought her husband in a hardware shop five years before their union as a prop for a photoshoot. Rain quickly ended up falling head over heels for the office must-have after spending hours having “deep philosophical discussions” with him at night. Comment now