25 AUGUST 2007, Page 15

Tall stories

Sir: Joan Collins (Diary, 18 August) makes an interesting point about the abnormal height (and hair growth) of 'Russian' women aged about 20. I wonder if they are Russian? I met a similar long-haired slender giantess (complete with five-inch stilletos) in Brussels a few years ago and I asked her where she came from. 'Ukraine' was the answer. And what happened in Ukraine about 20 years ago? Chernobyl. I understand strawberries nearby grew as big as footballs.

Maly Clark Cumbria