Standing 8 feet 5.5 inches (2.57 metres) tall, Leonid Stadnyk has always claimed to be the world’s tallest living human being. However, his refusal to have his height independently verified meant he had been denied his place in the record books.

That changed recently when Guinness Book of World Records spokeswoman Amarilis Espinoza announced that Stadnyk had finally been officially measured an, as a result, was officially recognized as the world’s tallest man.

Stadnyk has taken the title from the 7 foot 9 inches (2.36 metres) tall Bao Xishun, the Inner Mongolian herdsman who made global headlines when he got married earlier in the year and was later pictured with He Pingping, the world’s shortest man.

MSN Video - meet the world's tallest man 

While the 56 year-old Xishun’s height does not pose a threat to his health, sadly the same cannot be said for Leonid Stadnyk. The Ukrainian’s excessive growth began after he had brain surgery as a 12 year-old. He developed a pituatry gland tumour that resulted in a condition described by doctors describe as acromegalic gigantism. As an adult, he suffered frostbite after being unable to find shoes to fit his enormous size 23 feet. Problems with transport forced him to quit his job as a vet. Unable to work, he survives on a pension equivalent to 50 pounds per month.

But Leonid’s tale of woe has recently taken a happier turn. Pleased with his place in the record books, he was said to be even prouder of the customised shower donated to him by Ukrainian authorities and the satellite dish and computer given to him by a group of businessmen. Despite heart and ongoing foot problems, Satadnyk's doctor calls his condition stable and the Ukranian ginat hopes to enjoy his record-breaking status for some years to come.