Worlds Smallest Man

Meet Edward Hernandez, 28, his dream is to own a country farm, have a girlfriend, and drive a Jeep.

It's not a huge dream, but for Edward, who lives in one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Colombia's capital city of Bogota, relies on his parents for everything, and stands at just 27 inches tall, it might as well involve building a castle made of diamonds on the moon.

Until 2009, Edward and his family lived in relative obscurity. He had been angry and depressed as a child when he didn't grow while the other children or his siblings did, but he was beginning to accept his fate.

It's not a huge dream, but for Edward, who lives in one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Colombia's capital city of Bogota, relies on his parents for everything, and stands at just 27 inches tall, it might as well involve building a castle made of diamonds on the moon.

Until 2009, Edward and his family lived in relative obscurity. He had been angry and depressed as a child when he didn't grow while the other children or his siblings did, but he was beginning to accept his fate.

He mostly stayed indoors to avoid the constant battle of people picking him up and 'kids asking silly questions', but he and his family were content running his mother Noami's textile business above their house.

Their only fear was whether or not they mollycoddled him, and whether he would ever be able to cope alone if he needed his younger brothers' help even to go to the bathroom.

Indeed, as one said: "He can't go around by himself. He'd go missing. People pick him up as if he's a toy. And then, oof! we've lost Edward."

But then, in 2010, He Pingping, the world's smallest man, died in China, and the Guinness World Records people came calling.

They measured him, and made him the new record-holder. Overnight, Edward became a superstar, hoisted onto the shoulders of the world's media and bounced into the spotlight.

"I was so happy I almost cried," he said. "I was the shortest man in the world. The only one smaller than all the other kids."

A keen dancer, he was thrust onto Colombian TV wearing sparkly little suits and shimmied his way to stardom. He appeared on national chat shows and was paid well for his appearances.

He was given free medical care and operations for the myriad complaints he'd had since birth, sometimes in exchange for publicity and campaign backing. He even met the Colombian president at his palace.

Sensing his dreams inching closer, Edward visited a Jeep dealership to test out some models, telling the salesmen he would return to buy one once more money flooded in.

But, as Marco Frigatti, of Guinness World Records explained: "We knew that the reign of Edward, as the shortest man, could be very short."

Just six weeks into Edward's record, the world's smallest teenager - Khagendra Thapa Magar, in Nepal - turned 18 and became eligible for the 'world's smallest man' category.

One inch shorter than Edward, it made all the difference. He claimed the record and Edward became old news.

Suddenly the attention dried up and Edward became depressed, missing the stardom he once held.

"When I first saw him I got really mad and felt in a bad mood," Edward said. "But my mum said I should be happy for him."

His mother said: "He's happy being surrounded by an audience that responds to him. It makes him feel special.

But when the fuss is over he feels empty and alone. He's sad and unsettled."

Edward now works with his friend Pablo in shopping malls, selling himself on still being 'the smallest man in the world'. They make about £50 a day each.

Edward still lives in the moment, but is stuck between being an adult and looking like a child, and never sure which he is.

But, smiling, he says: "I like being both a kid and an adult. That way everyone likes me. They pick me up and kiss me. And they take me on trips."