The world’s tallest and shortest women meet for record-breaking tea

The world’s tallest woman, Rumeysa Gelgi, and the world’s shortest woman, Jyoti Amge, met up to enjoy afternoon tea together in London, in celebration at The Guinness World Record Day 2024.

Rumeysa Gelgi, 27, is a researcher and web developer from Turkey and stands at 2 metres and 15.16cm, while Jyoti Amge, 30, is an actress from India and measures 62.8cm.

The record-breaking event took place at the luxury The Savoy hotel, and the pair were honoured as Guinness World Record icons in the book’s 70th anniversary edition.

Guinness World Record editor-in-chief Craig Glenday said: “The Guinness World Records icons are those record holders who truly embody the spirit of GWR. They come from all areas, from science and technology, sports and the arts and media, and are also those dedicated record holders who we see year after year.”

Gelgi has an extremely rare condition called Weaver syndrome, which causes accelerated growth and skeletal deformities.

She said: “It was so amazing meeting Jyoti for the first time. It was difficult for us to make eye contact at times due to our height difference, but it was great.”

“We do have things in common – we both love make-up, self-care, and doing our nails,” she added.

Amge has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia, and has appeared in several films and shows, including playing Ma Petite in the US hit TV series American Horror Story.

“I’m used to looking up and seeing people taller than me but I was so happy to look up today and see the world’s tallest woman,” said Amge, describing her first encounter with Gelgi. “I’m delighted that I’ve met Rumeysa, she is so good-natured, and I felt very comfortable talking to her.”

Gelgi added: “We are aiming to inspire people with visible differences to find the courage to show themselves. I want to make people see that being different is okay.”

Glenday said: “Guinness World Records is all about celebrating differences, and by bringing together these two amazing, iconic women, they can share their perspectives on life with each other and also with us.”

For reference, the tallest living person is Sultan Kösen, a part-time farmer from Turkey, who is 2m46.5cm tall, while shortest living person is Afshin Esmaeil Ghaderzadeh, from Iran, who is 65.24 cm tall.

Additional sources • Guinness Book of World Records