As the world's shortest living woman Jyoti Amge turns 22 today, we highlight 10 interesting facts about her life and career that you may not have known

Standing at just over 2 feet tall, her miniature stature only propelled her dreams higher. Meet Jyoti Amge, the world's shortest living woman who dreams of making it big in Bollywood. As she turns 22 today, we highlight 10 interesting facts about her life and career that you may not have known.



Jyoti Amge. Pic/AFP

1) Jyoti Amge was born on December 16, 1993 in Nagpur to Kishan and Ranjana Amge.

2) She is only 62.8 cm (2 feet 0.6 inch) tall and weighs just 12 lbs (5.5 kg) - only 9 lbs more than she did at birth. This is due to a growth anomaly called achondroplasia that stopped her body development after she turned a year older.

3) Her family came to know of her rare bone-degenerative disorder only when she turned five. On consulting a specialist, they were told her height would remain the same all of her life.

4) As a teenager at school in Nagpur, Jyoti had her own small desk and chair. Her clothes and jewellery are custom made to suit her. Even plates, utensils, bed and other necessities are specially designed for her.

5) On December 16, 2011, Jyoti's 18th birthday, she was officially declared the world's smallest woman by Guinness World Records. She is 6.7 cm shorter than the previous title holder, American Bridgette Jordan.



Guinness World Records adjudicator Rob Molloy (R) measures Jyoti Amge during a news conference in Nagpur on December 16, 2011. Amge was officially announced by the Guinness World Records on December 16 the world's "shortest woman living (mobile)" measured as 62.8cm (24.7 inches) and takes the title from US woman Bridgette Jordan, who previously held the record at 69.5 cm (27.4 in). Pic/AFP

6) She had joined Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in May 2012 in hopes of pursuing a full-fledged career in public service.

7) After bagging the title of world's smallest woman, Jyoti has set her eyes on an acting career in Bollywood. Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif and Amitabh Bachchan are Jyoti's favourite Bollywood actors.

8) Jyoti was featured in the 2009 documentary titled 'Body Shock: Two Foot High Teen', a documentary series produced in UK about the lives and conditions of extraordinary people.

9) On August 13, 2014, she was cast in the fourth season of the horror anthology series 'American Horror Story: Freak Show', which premiered October 8, 2014. In a four-episode role, she played Ma Petite, mother to Gabourey Sidibe's character, and portrayed the part of a performer in one of the last remaining freak attraction shows in US.

10) Jyoti, along with Teo Mammuccari, has co-hosted 'Lo show dei Record' in 2012 on the Italian channel Canale 5.