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Diet Coke-obsessed mom from Kentucky reveals her viral collection and 'the joy it brings me'
By Sydney Borchers
Published November 02, 2023
The Kentucky mom who went viral for her Diet Coke obsession is speaking out about her love for the drink — and is sharing some of her favorite memorabilia.
Beth Sturgilll, a pediatric nurse practitioner from Lexington, went viral earlier this month after her daughter Rowan Sturgill shared her mother's love for Diet Coke on TikTok.
Beth Sturgill said it was during her college years that this love for the fountain drink really blossomed.
"I just really found that it gave me joy and really just felt good to drink Diet Coke and that was the only thing that I loved," Sturgill, a mom of four, told Fox News Digital.
"Just the taste of it just gives me a lot of happiness and I really enjoy it."
@rowansturgill this isnt even half of it im not kidding
♬ fear no man - tana
Sturgill said that as a kid, soda was a treat that her parents allowed her to order at a restaurant.
When she went off to college and was able to make her own choices, she chose to drink Diet Coke.
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Before her 17-year-old daughter was born, Sturgill started her Diet Coke collection with a small Diet Coke Christmas ornament she purchased while on a trip with her family.
This Diet Coke ornament started Beth Sturgill's collection — even though her obsession with the drink started much earlier, she said. (Beth Sturgill)
Not long after the soft drink paraphernalia started, Sturgill and her family went to the World of Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta, Georgia, where she acquired more Diet Coke trinkets, she said.
One of those purchases included a 15-year-old Diet Coke pen that she has lost a handful of times, she said — but always ends up finding after all these years.
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The Kentucky resident started to collect different memorabilia over the years from different locations around the U.S. and even Europe, Sturgill noted.
She owns two Diet Coke refrigerators, one of which came all the way from England.
"I found it online and [I] had to have it. Unfortunately, the retailer did not ship to the U.S.," she said.
"My sister and her husband happened to be in England at the time on business, so I asked if they could find the store, pick up the item and bring it home."
Sturgill said her sister and brother-in-law learned the Diet Coke fridge weighed 50 pounds — so they were unable to check it with their luggage.
"My brother-in-law carried it through no less than three train changes and four different airports across the Atlantic Ocean," she said.
It began to dawn on Sturgill's friends, family and coworkers just how much she loved the soft drink — so they gifted her a variety of Diet Coke memorabilia.
"We finally realized [that] I have a lot of the really cool stuff and I want to put it on display," Sturgill shared.
Her home has a half-bathroom on the first floor that seemed like the most ideal location to hold all of her Diet Coke-themed items.
The room is dedicated to the soft drink — so her family calls it "the shrine."
As she continues to expand her collection, the space and the shrine continue to grow as well.
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Sturgill cannot be found without her Diet Coke in hand — and she will not visit a restaurant that does not offer the soda.
"We will call ahead and say, ‘What is your beverage?’" she added.
"We will not go to a place that doesn't have Diet Coke."
Sturgill knows the difference between a Diet Coke and "the other diet drink that shall remain nameless," she joked.
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There are Diet Coke lovers in the world — and then there is Sturgill and her family. (She said her husband loves the drink "almost" as much as she does.)
If there is a sale at her local grocery store on a 12-pack of Diet Coke cans, her family will buy as many as 20 cases to take home and stock up on, she said.
She said her whole family is on board with the addiction and hobby of collecting unique memorabilia.
Even Sturgill's text tone — made by her son — is the sound of a Diet Coke can tab being opened.
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Her love for the drink and her love for her state have combined occasionally.
One year during the Kentucky Derby, Sturgill made a fascinator to wear to work with a Diet Coke can placed on top.
Sturgill has dozens of clothing items, socks, keychains, kitchen items and home decorations dedicated to her love for the soft drink.
"My favorite thing is probably my ‘In Case of Emergency Break Glass’ [item] that I made," she said.
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Inside the shadow box is a Diet Coke can with a little hammer attached.
As her kids have brought friends over through the years, the Diet Coke-themed bathroom has become quite the conversation starter, she said.
Beth Sturgill is a true Diet Coke lover — something that's obvious to anyone who takes one step inside her home. (Beth Sturgill)
"The joy it [Diet Coke] brings me is indescribable. I have always loved it and starting my collection of fun items to celebrate that became another way to enjoy it," Sturgill added.
"To know me is to know that I love Diet Coke."
Fox News Digital reached out to The Coca-Cola Company for comment.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/diet-coke-obsessed-mom-kentucky-reveals-viral-collection-joy-it-brings-me