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Britain’s tallest teenage girl
She might have to duck
her head when she walks through a door.
But Britain’s tallest teenage girl likes towering over her friends.
Jessica Pardoe, 18, who is 6ft 9in in bare feet, said: “I’m really proud to be
this tall. I don’t mind being a bit different. And it has so many advantages.
“I love going to music festivals and it’s great to be able to see over
everyone’s heads.”
Since going to a festival this summer, art student Jessica is becoming a
celebrity herself.
“Lots of people wanted me to pose for photos with them,” she says. Now a
Facebook tribute page set up in her honour has more than 3,500 fans.
Jessica’s height runs in the family. Mum Lisa, 41, is just over 6ft and dad
Andrew, 43, is 6ft 7in. Brother Niall, 17, is an inch taller than her at 6ft
10in, while stepbrothers Liam, eight, and Ethan, six, are 5ft and 4ft 8in.
Jessica weighed 8lb 10oz at birth and measured a long, but not unusual, 53cm
from head to toe. But at 18 months she was much taller than other tots.
“Passers-by used to give me strange looks,” says Lisa. “I’m sure they believed
she was too old to be in her pushchair.”
By the age of 11 Jessica was already 5ft 8in – 3in taller than the average
British woman. “We think she has stopped growing now – she’s been the same
height for 18 months,” says her mum.
She is perfectly healthy with a pair of stunning 38in legs, which she believes
to be the longest in Britain, and size 11 feet.
“I adore my long legs but they cause problems buying clothes,” she says. “I can
get away with wearing skirts and dresses as minis, but no high street trousers,
jeans or shoes fit. I can get them online but they are much more expensive.”
Jessica, from Wrexham, North Wales, says men don’t seem to mind that she’s two
inches taller than lanky soccer star Peter Crouch. “I’m single now but I’ve had
a few boyfriends and go on dates,” she says.
She sleeps curled up on her side so is happy with a standard size bed – but
normal life does pose a few other problems.
On her first driving lesson she couldn’t fit in the car, while at cinema and
public transport seats are a challenge.
She has been bullied over her height too. Mum Lisa says: “Some people shout
unkind comments, but she takes it in her stride. I’ve always drummed it in to
her that being tall is something to be proud of.
“She’s never stooped or hunched her shoulders and always walks tall.”
Helen Porter, of the Tall Persons’ Club of Great Britain, said: “At 6ft 9in this
lady is exceptionally tall. I have checked our records and currently our
tallest female member is 6ft 8in.
“We certainly believe she must be the tallest teenage girl in Britain.” |
