Monday, October 28, 2013
It is a good thing that opposites attract, otherwise Sultan Kosen might've had a hard time finding a woman of similar proportions to share his life with.
The world's tallest man is 2.51 metres high, which is a good two feet and seven inches taller than his new bride, Merve Dibo. The Turkish farmer was married in a ceremony at the weekend, after previously almost given up hope he'd ever find love.
He's one of only 10 people in recorded history to top the eight feet mark. And he also holds the current Guinness World Record for the largest feet and hands on the planet with a 27.5cm hands, 36.5 cm feet - a massive size 28. Kosen's gigantic wedding suit needed to be custom made, obviously. And his celebrity status in his home country meant the nuptials were a who's who of Turkey.
"Now I will have my own family and private life," he said. "How unfortunate I could not find a suitable girl of my own size. My wife is over 1.75 meters tall, but I believe I've found the person for me."
Kosen suffers from a rare disorder called pituitary gigantism, which causes his body to continually produce the growth hormone. His condition is believed to have been caused by a tumour in the pituitary gland. Doctors thought they had cured him in 2008 when they removed the tumour but he continued to grow by half an inch (1.27cm) a year. Now medics say he has finally stopped growing.
