RECORD-breaking 12-year-old Sophie Hollins stands proud at 6ft 2in, as she towers over her pals and even her mum and dad.
The schoolgirl can touch ceilings at home, and is 18 inches taller than most classmates.
Sophie, who Guinness World Records believe is the world’s tallest pre-teen, said: “I’ve always known I was different. I’ve been tallest in my class from day one.”
But while she says it is “cool” to be so tall, she adds that she will be delighted if a recent procedure to stunt her growth is successful.
The life-threatening genetic disorder affects the body’s connective tissues.
It can cause organ problems, or lead to extreme height.
Sophie was 4ft 10in at age six. Aged ten and 5ft 11in, doctors curbed her surge by destroying growth tissue in her knees and giving her hormones to speed up puberty.
Dental receptionist Lorraine added: “I always told Sophie people are going to stare. Boys at school called her a giraffe. There was a time she was so skinny I feared her legs would snap in half.”
Guinness says the world tallest man is Turkish farmer Sultan Kösen, 35, at 8ft 2.8in. The tallest woman is China’s 7ft 3in Sun Fang, 30.
Prasanta Patnaik