A woman has revealed how she spent four years growing her fingernails to 12cm to win a bet.. Elena Shilenkova, 35, spent four years growing her ‘babies’ to 12cm [4.7 inches] long in order to win a bet with a friend, who said she couldn’t do it. Now the blogger has broken a record by growing Russia’s longest nails.
She said: “My nails are now the longest I have had, I have been growing them for four years and three months.
“It started over a bet with my friend, and now everyone is just used to my ‘long nail’ status.“I call them ‘my babies’, as they are four years old and I take care of them as I would do with babies.”
The YouTuber, from Saint Petersburg, goes on to explain how it’s not a breeze growing your claws to award-winning status.
Elena refuses to swim in the sea, play tennis or wear gloves despite Russia’s freezing temperatures – all for the sake of her tips.
She has been working her long nails since her teenage years, and now feels she is burdened with the constant fear one might break – and often has nightmares she will wake up with short talons.
She says: “I don’t have any problems with the things I do daily, I just do some things in a different way than most people.
“For example, I would say that my way of typing is a little bit different.
“I just need to constantly control all my movements… and try to avoid sharp movements and ‘behave’ softly – sharp movements are my enemy.
“I am afraid to break them as I would have to waste my time on fixing them – they do break sometimes but I always fix them.
She adds: “I do miss gloves – it can be quite cold in Russia and I have to put my hands in my pockets.” “Total control helps – I also take vitamin pills for nails and hair every six months.”
Though her choice of nail length may not be to everyone’s taste, she says that there are as many positive as negative comments – especially from older people.
But she admitted her unusual talons do not leave her short of male attention.