How 8ft 3ins Turkish giant Sultan Kosen married Syrian woman 2ft 7in shorter than him only to divorce her over ‘language barrier’
Sultan Kosen is the world’s tallest man at a staggering 8 feet 3 inches – but he has long refused to let his extraordinary height stand in his way.
The globetrotting giant has visited more than 120 countries and counting, enjoys celebrity status and has worked as a farmer, circus performer and honorary ambassador to his native Turkey.
The 41-year-old owes his staggering height to a rare condition called pituitary gigantism, which causes his body to continually produce growth hormones.
He is one of only ten people to ever top 8ft, and was awarded the Guinness World Record for being the tallest man alive in 2009.
Kosen has since appeared alongside the world’s smallest woman, Jyoti Amge, who is just 2ft tall, first meeting at Egypt‘s pyramids six years ago before reuniting in California earlier this week.
While Kosen’s height – equivalent to that of a small giraffe – has brought him fame and a jetset lifestyle, he has also had to deal with its downsides throughout his life.
Sadly, true love has eluded Kosen, whose marriage to a Syrian woman 2ft 7in shorter than him ended in divorce due to their language barrier. His heartbreak prompted him to set out on a world tour in search of Mrs Right.
Kosen began shooting up at the age of ten, became the tallest man in the world in 2009 and finally stopped growing in 2011.
He is one of five siblings, with the rest of his family all ‘normal’ sized.