American Woman “Ayanna Williams” of Houston in Texas, USA, has been growing her nails for more than 20 years.
The Texan nail artist joins a host of other record breakers in the latest book, including the world’s oldest bodybuilder, a woman who can proudly call herself owner of the world’s longest eyelash, and a house cat whose tail outstrips that of any other feline around the globe.
When Guinness World Records measured them earlier this year, they had a combined total length of 576.4 cm (18 ft 10.9 in).
VIDEO:
The nails on her left hand are longer than her right, measuring a total of 326.5 cm (10 ft 8.5 in) compared with 249.8 cm (8 ft 2.3 in).
It takes Ayanna up to 20 hours – and two bottles of nail polish – to paint her tremendous talons.
When she’s not painting her own fingernails, Ayanna is giving manicures to clients as she works as a nail technician.
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 19: Ripley’s Believe It Or Not unveil Ayanna Williams, the Woman with 23 inch nails at Ripley’s Believe It Or Not on November 19, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)
“It takes me longer to do anything than it would take other people, because of the length of my nails,” she told us during the photoshoot for the Guinness World Records 2018 book.
In order to protect them, she avoids washing dishes and sleeps with them resting on a pillow.
Ayanna became the record holder for the Longest fingernails on a pair of hands (female)after Chris “The Dutchess” Walton (also USA) cut her own nails, which had grown to a total length of 731.4 cm (23 ft 11 in).
Asked whether she has any plans to cut her nails in the future, Ayanna says: “They’re a part of me so they’re here to stay!”
Ayanna’s longest individual nail is on her left thumb, and measures 68 cm (2 ft 2.7 in). This is longer than the Shortest man ever, Chandra Bahadur Dangi, at 54.6 cm (1 ft 9.5 in; see p.70).
CREDIT: Guinnessworldrecords.com,