In a heartwarming tale of love defying the odds, 3ft 8in Caitlin Hellyer, who has achondroplasia dwarfism, often gets mistaken for the little sister of her 5ft 8in boyfriend, Guy Pritchard.
Despite the stares and laughter they face when out together, Caitlin, a 23-year-old glamour model from Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, insists their relationship is as normal as any other.
The couple, who have been together for two-and-a-half years, even share jokes about their height difference. “When we met, we hit it off right away and it’s been like that ever since.”
She admits to being mistaken for a child and says, “Sometimes people think I’m his younger sibling – I don’t know how, I’m a 23-year-old woman with boobs!”
Despite hearing sniggers and receiving cruel online comments, Caitlin remains unfazed: “I hear people sniggering, and we get horrible comments online – people don’t understand it but we don’t care what others say.”
She finds happiness and security in her relationship with Guy, a marine engineer, who is open about his affection: “Guy is a man of his word and he’s so genuine – I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. I feel safe and protected.”
Caitlin believes that overlooking physical differences can lead to true love: “There can be genuine relationships with height or ability differences – being shallow only restricts you from finding true love.”
Guy adds, “I am a strong person and I’m very open about my love towards Caitlin and who she is.
“We love each other and we don’t need to follow a set path to prove that to anyone.”
The couple, who met in May 2022 after weeks of online chatting, found an instant connection, staying up until 3am talking on their first meeting. They quickly moved in together just two months later.
She shared: “I pass him things on the low shelves of the pantry, and he gets things out of the high cupboards.
“He has to lift me up because his Land Rover is too high for me to get into – we joke about it all the time.
“When we got our dog we picked a miniature Dachshund – we joked about how it’s the only one we could get for me!I might be smaller but it doesn’t stop me stealing his t-shirts – they’re bigger so they’re more snuggly.
“We make a great team – we’re no different to anyone else really.”
Despite often being mistaken for his daughter or younger sister, with people doing double takes, she said: “If I’ve been out with Guy’s family, when we go to get seated in a restaurant, the waiter initially says ‘table for three adults and a child’ before looking at me and correcting to ‘four adults’.”
Guy added: “I’ll always walk tall and be ready to stand up for her when it’s required.
“With regards to people thinking she’s my daughter, it’s quite funny sometimes.
“My friends have children about the same height as Caitlin and you can see they don’t quite understand – they try to play with her.”
Caitlin mentioned that people initially questioned their relationship or attributed it to a “fetish” of some kind.
Caitlin spoke out against skeptics, affirming that the love she shares is “genuine” and emphasised it’s about “finding your person”. She explained, “It’s about finding the one who is right for you – regardless of height, looks, job, location, and family’s opinions.
“There can be genuine relationships out there with a height difference or different abilities.
“It doesn’t have to be painted or perceived in a negative way.”
Guy also shared his own sentiments, “The second time we met, I remember thinking, ‘if this is happiness then I’ve never been happy before.'” He confidently added, “I think Caitlin’s beautiful and so I’m proud to be with her.”