The moment world’s tallest and shortest women meet up

The world’s tallest and shortest women have met up in London for a record-breaking afternoon tea.

Rumeysa Gelgi, a 27-year-old Turkish web developer, and Indian actress Jyoti Amge, 30, swapped stories and life experiences during their meeting at The Savoy hotel.

Despite struggling to ‘make eye contact at times’ due to their height difference, the pair found common ground over tea and cakes at the luxury hotel.

Ms Gelgi is the Guinness World Record holder for being the tallest woman at 215.16cm (7ft 1in).

Ms Amge is the shortest woman at 62.8cm (2ft 1in). She played Ma Petite in the US hit TV series American Horror Story.

Ms Amge has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia.

She described their first encounter: ‘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.

‘I’m delighted that I’ve met Rumeysa, she is so good-natured, and I felt very comfortable talking to her.’

Ms Gelgi has a rare condition called Weaver syndrome. It causes accelerated growth and skeletal deformities – hers was only the 27th case ever diagnosed and the first in Turkey.

She uses a wheelchair and can only stand using a walker for short periods of time, but she refuses to let her physical challenges hold her back.

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.’

The pair are said to be Guinness World Record icons, and they attended the celebration of the book’s 70th anniversary.

Other legendary record holders include Diana Armstrong, the woman with the longest fingernails, Sultan Kosen, the world’s tallest man, and disabled strongman Dave Walsh.

GWR editor-in-chief Craig 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.

‘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.’

The tallest living person is Sultan Kösen, a part-time farmer from Turkey, who is 246.5 cm (8 ft 1 in) tall.

The shortest living person is Afshin Esmaeil Ghaderzadeh, from Iran, who is 65.24 cm (2 ft 1.6 in) tall.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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