UK’s tallest man crowned as 7ft 7in giant Paul ‘Tiny’ Sturgess – who inherits the crown from late Game of Thrones star Neil Fingleton

A 7FT 7IN giant has become Britain's tallest man after inheriting the crown from a star of Game Of Thrones.

Paul Sturgess, from Loughborough, Leics, already held the record for being the tallest basketball player in the world.

But he has now replaced Neil Fingleton as the UK’s tallest following his death from heart failure in February.

Paul, 29, boasts size 19 feet and eats a staggering 7,000 calories a day.

As a member of the Harlem Globetrotters he enjoys free first class upgrades on flights because of his height.

Weighing 24 and a half stone, Paul is also too big for a king sized bed and is famed for his standing dunk on the basketball court.

He said: "I was always the tallest in my class, but never by much.

"I was a pretty average sized baby, weighing 9lbs, so I wasn't massive but my mum did say I had really long legs.

"I hit 6ft when I was 15, and that's when I had my really big growth spurt and mum took me to the doctors.

"By the time I was 17 I was 7ft, and I just got taller and taller."

Doctors confirmed Paul's unusual height is genetic, although his mum is a titch by comparison at just 5ft 6ins.

His dad is 6ft 7ins and the other men in his family are all over 6ft, although Paul is the first one to go over 7ft.

For Tall Paul, his height always made him popular in school and he was rarely criticised.

He started playing basketball in college before bagging a lucrative scholarship at Mountain State University in West Virginia, US.

Paul, nicknamed Tiny, added: "A couple of friends in college suggested I try basketball, and I got the bug for it straight away.

"I knew I had an immediate advantage and a lot of opportunities came my way, like being scouted.

"I can grab the basketball net from the floor and I do a standing dunk which has sort of become my trademark move.

"My height does have the awe factor, but to be honest - especially playing basketball - people are used to players being tall."

Living in America, Paul doesn't have too much trouble buying clothes or finding shoes to fit his size 19 feet.

But fitting in cars and getting on a plane usually poses a problem for the sportsman.

A typical breakfast for Paul includes cereal, an omelette, porridge, toast AND fruit.

For lunch he would eat two foot-long Subways and dinner is a 20oz steak with vegetables.

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