Joelison Fernandes da Silva, 28, developed gigantism as a child and his rapidly soaring height forced him to drop out of school due to bullying and then refuse to leave the family house for years.

But true happiness eventually found the shy Brazilian - who has come to be known as 'the gentle giant' - in the form of Evem Medeiros, a 5ft 21-year-old woman he met online.

'The first time I saw her it was love at first sight,' Joelison said. 'I was charmed by her. I wanted to be with her all the time. It didn't matter about her size.'

The former gold miner admits their huge height difference has left a few people bewildered, especially when it comes to the dynamics of their love-life.

'I get asked a lot about this and at first it annoyed me but nowadays it's normal and I am used to it. I take it in good humour,' explained the real-life Goliath.

Joelison, who used to work in a gold mine as well as a plantation before leaving due to his health issues, now makes a living appearing in commercials for frozen ready meals.

As a celebrity in his homeland he began to attract admirers, including new wife Evem.

She contacted him on Facebook to wish him happy birthday and they swapped numbers before starting a committed relationship two months later.

'She was basically my first woman. The first woman of my life. I was 28,' said Joelison.
'I thought everything about her was beautiful - but especially her eyes.

'She is very caring. She doesn't show it when the cameras are here but she is caring and truthful. She has never lied to me.'

Just a year later they were married and it didn't take them long to start trying for a family.

But Evem, who hopes to find work as a hair stylist, was initially wary of getting intimate.
'I had a certain amount of fear,' she said. 'I was afraid it wouldn't work out. But it was fine. We have a normal love life.'

She added: 'We want to have a family so I track my dates, times, temperature, everything. All I have to do is call him and he understands what is going on.

'I have polycystic ovaries and so there are months that I don't ovulate. I've done my exams and already know that my condition makes it more difficult to get pregnant.
'But he hasn't done his tests so we need him to go and do it so we can see if the problem really is just me.'

Meanwhile,he is soon due to fly to a Paris convention where he will meet others with gigantism, including the tallest man in the world, Sultan Kösen from Turkey.

And Joelison, who is thought to be the third tallest man in the world, says he is looking forward to the novelty of being smaller than someone for once.

'The most interesting thing is going to be standing face to face with someone,' he said. 'The last time I did that I was a child.'

-Daily mail