Woman with the world's longest nails cuts them after nearly 30 years

A woman who held the Guinness World Record for the world's longest fingernails has cut them short after almost 30 years of growing.

Ayanna Williams from Houston, Texas, entered the Guinness World Records in 2017, for the 'longest nails on a pair of hands'. 

At the time, her nails measured a combined 18ft in length. Before the trim they were 24ft long, with the longest individual nail measuring 38in. 

Ayanna, who needed to have professional cut the nails with an electronic rotary cutter due to the scale and thickness, admitted it was a 'relief' to have the nails gone.

It also means she will be able to do every day tasks like wash the dishes and change the bed for the first time in years.   

Speaking to Guinness World Records, Ayanna said:

The last time I measured my nails the longest one was 38 inches. I get so many different kinds of reactions from growing my nails, it's unbelievable. The majority are good, people are excited and they don't know what to think or say actually because it's something you don't see on the norm. I'm going to always be the queen with or without my nails because my nails don't make me, I make my nails.

Ayanna joked that her mother thought her nails were long when they were just 2in at the beginning of her attempt to grow them.

She admitted that she was worried about breaking a nail before having them cut and that she will miss having them - despite taking more than 20 hours and two bottles of nail polish to manicure.

The nail artist said she would encourage others who wants to grow their nails because everybody should be allowed to be themselves. 

If you want to grow your nails long, do it. Why not?, Ayanna said.

It's your life do it. The main thing is don't worry about what people say because people are going to talk at the end of the day, if you're doing good or doing bad. If you want to grow your nails do it. I'll encourage you, hit me up. You know where to find me.

She used an electronic device to trim each of Ayanna's nails. 

Ayanna said she felt 'relieved' to have her nails cut, saying: 'My knuckles seem like they just loosened up.'

The great-grandmother added that she's excited to see her nails on display, and is happy for Guinness and Ripley to own them because it's history for her children.