Britain's tallest girl: Jessica Pardoe, 18

Many of her peers love nothing more than finishing off an outfit with a pair of vertiginous heels.
But at 6ft 9in – with size 11 feet – Jessica Pardoe doesn’t get to wear stilettos very often.
For Britain’s tallest teenage girl, shopping for shoes is more of a chore than a hobby. 

‘I have to buy them from specialist shops on the internet,’ says 18-year-old Miss Pardoe. ‘I would love to be able to pop out and buy a cheap pair, but the minimum cost is around £50.’
Tailoring can also mean trouble, with the art and design student having a 38in inside leg.
‘I haven’t ever heard of any woman with longer legs than mine,’ she says. ‘Fortunately I  can buy fashionable clothes  online – although they are much more expensive.’

Despite these annoyances, Miss Pardoe doesn’t let her height get her down.
‘I’m really proud to be this tall,’  she stresses. ‘It does make me  more noticeable, but 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 in a crowd.’
During one such event this  month she was swamped with requests for photos and a Facebook page which was set up in her  honour – titled ‘The 8 foot Girl At Wakestock 2011’ – has garnered almost 4,000 fans.

Her mother Lisa, 41, measures just over 6ft while father Andrew, 43, is two inches shorter than Miss Pardoe at 6ft 7in – the same height as England striker Peter Crouch. Their daughter appears to have stopped growing about 18 months ago.
Although she is ‘single right now’, Miss Pardoe claims that men ‘don’t seem to mind my height at all’, adding: ‘I have had a few boyfriends and go on dates.’
If she does need advice on coping with her size, there is one family member she can look up to. Little brother Niall, 17, is 6ft 10in.
Mother Lisa, an administrator, who is divorced, said: 'When Jess was born she weighed 8Ib 10oz and measured a long but not unusual 53cms from head to toe. But by the time she was 18 months she was much taller than other girls of her age.

'In fact, as she sat in her pushchair passers-by used to give me strange looks as I’m sure they believed she was too big to still be sat in it.'
Within weeks of starting secondary school Miss Pardoe had grown to 5ft 9 in – the same height as the average British man.

Her mum adds: 'I expected Jess would be tall. After all, she has inherited both mine and Andrew’s genes. Then other relatives on both sides of the family are tall. Jess has an auntie who is 6ft 2in and an uncle who is 6ft 7in.
'That said I never expected Jess would continue to keep growing as she did – and I never expected her to end up quite as tall as she is now.'
Meanwhile, the teenager says she is used to ducking when she walks through doorways. 'I’ve got used to ensuring I don’t bump my head on low ceilings. And fortunately I sleep curled up on my side so am quite happy with a standard size bed.'

However, normal life does pose a few problems.
She explains: 'I recently enrolled for driving lessons. But when I sat in the car I simply couldn’t fit my legs under the wheel. The driving instructor pushed the seat back as far as it would go but it was hopeless.
'Luckily his nephew has a bigger car and with the seat pushed right back in that, eventually I fitted in.'
A spokeswoman for the Tall Person’s Club of Great Britain said last night they did not have a taller woman on their books.
Helen Porter 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 at that height she must be the tallest teenage girl in Britain.'




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