A woman with the world's longest fingernails has shared the tragic reason why she vowed to never cut them again. Diana Armstrong broke the Guinness World Record for the longest fingernails on a pair of hands ever (female), with a combined nail length of 1,306.58 cm (42 ft 10.4 in).
She struggles with day-to-day tasks as she has nails that are roughly the same length as a school bus, and they've taken her 25 years to grow - in which time she's not once been to a salon. She hasn't cut her nails since 1997 and says she never will after suffering a tragic loss.
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Diana, who last cut her nails in 1997, vowed never to cut them again after her 16-year-old Latisha tragically passed away in her sleep from an asthma attack.
Her daughter was the last person to do her nails for her. Although her other children tried to persuade her to get them manicured, once they understood the significance, they left her to it.
Speaking about how she fares with such long talons, Diana, of Minnesota, US, said: "Zipping up my pants or jacket. I can pop open a can of soda but I need a knife. I drove a car but had to stick my hand out the window, so I don’t drive anymore.
"And in public restrooms, I need to use the biggest stall – my nails are usually longer than the regular-sized stalls."
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She added: "Each nail takes about 10 hours to file and polish. To file them, I need to use a Dremel woodwork tool. I get them done every four to five years, and get through between 15 and 20 bottles of polish. I painted them last week and it took four days.
"If I have to pick up money off the floor, I can pick up bills. But if I drop change on the floor, that will just stay down there."
After she was officially acknowledged by the Guinness World Records team earlier this year, Diana initially thought it was some sort of joke, but is now proud of her accolade, and believes Latisha would be too.
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