Minnesota woman breaks Guinness record for longest fingernails

(ABC 6 News) – A Minneapolis woman has broken the Guinness World Record for longest fingernails.

According to Guinness World Records, Diana Armstrong has received the titles for “longest fingernails on a pair of hands (female)” and “longest fingernails on a pair of hands ever (female)”.

Guinness measured Diana’s fingernails and found they have a combined length of 42 feet and 10.4 inches, beating the previous record by more than 18 feet.

The title was officially verified by Minnesota-based Guinness World Records adjudicator Mike Marcotte on March 13.

Diana last cut her nails in 1997. But shortly after, a tragic accident rocked her family when her daughter Latisha passed away at 16-years-old due to an asthma attack, and she vowed never to cut them again.

According to a release, it can take up to 20 bottles of nail polish to paint Diana’s nails.

“I’ve always had long nails, but not to this extent. Even when I was little, I always had longer fingernails,” Diana said. “My mom always grew her nails, so I always had nails like my mom.”

Diana says she is restricted in what she can do with her hands and often uses her feet to pick up clothes off the floor or to open the refrigerator.

Diana has also given up on driving, as her long nails have made it almost impossible, but when she used to drive, her nails would rest outside of the car window due to their length.

She also tends to steer clear of zippers, as they are very difficult to navigate with her nails.

Diana has no intention of cutting her nails and wouldn’t consider it even if she were paid to do so.

Diana will be featured alongside other world records when the 2023 edition of the Guinness World Records book, available Sept. 15.