Featured Image Credit: Guinness World Records
Topics: US News
Claire Reid
A woman with the Guinness World Record for the longest fingernails was inspired to grow them after a tragic death in the family.
Diana Armstrong, from Minnesota in the US, was announced the Guinness World Record holder for both ‘longest fingernails on a pair of hands (female)’ and ‘longest fingernails on a pair of hands ever (female)’, yesterday (2 August).
Her incredible talons, which she has been growing for 25 years, measured an incredible 1,306.58 cm (42 ft 10.4 in) as of 13 March 2022 - earning her a spot in the record books.
But their impressive length comes at a bit of a cost, with Diana admitting that she’s had to give up driving because her nails are so long they’d stick out of her car.
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She also has to use her feet to carry out some simple tasks, such as picking up items off the floor and opening the fridge.
Diana had always boasted longer than average nails and enjoyed having them manicured by her daughter Latisha every weekend.
Tragically, in 1997 Diana’s Latisha passed away from an asthma attack in her sleep - she was just 16.
Following the heartbreaking death, Diana vowed to never cut her nails again.
She told Guinness World Records: "She was the only one who did my nails. She polished them and filed them for me."
Over the years, Diana’s other children - unaware of her reasons - tried to encourage her to trim her nails, but she resisted.
"My kids said 'Ma, you need to cut your nails.' I would tell them 'Mind your business’,” she explained.
Once she told them why she had give up cutting her nails, Diana’s children accepted her decision.
Daughter Rania told Guinness World Records: "When she told us the back story, it kind of changed my feelings towards it.
"Because just as much as she missed my sister, I missed her too. So, if that’s her way of holding on to her, then I accept."
Diana has said she has absolutely no intentions of ever cutting her nails and says she wouldn’t even do it for money.
Diana believes her late daughter would be proud of her mum’s record-breaking nails.
"I think she [Tisha] would be proud of me because she’s the last one who did my nails,” she said.
"That’s who I think of when I grow my nails, is my daughter."
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