A 7ft 8in man who was so embarrassed about his height he spent ‘half his life’ hiding away at home, has now found love with a woman almost three foot smaller than him. 28-year-old Joelison Fernandes da Silva has been described as Brazil’s ‘gentle giant’ and is officially the country’s tallest man, after he developed gigantism as a child.

Despite his towering stature, he was bullied as a teen and, after dropping out of school, became a virtually recluse to avoid people’s stares. ‘I saw myself as abnormal,’ he says.

However, since having an operation at the age of 21 to remove a benign tumour on his pituitary gland, his condition is now under control and he has grown in confidence.

He even became a bit of a celebrity in Paraiba, Brazil, where he lives, and began to attract admirers, including 21-year-old Evem Medeiros who he met last year and now married to him.

Evem who is 5ft, is almost three foot smaller than her partner, but says the height difference does not matter because they are in love. The couple are now trying to have a baby. Though Evem’s father rejected her partner at first, he has also come to terms with the fact that his daughter has chosen to live with the tallest man in Brazil.

Mcponpin:
Distance relationship....