96% of Mr Yu’s body is covered with hair. He sports an average of 41 hairs per square centimetre of his skin thanks to a condition known as atavism. Although he remains realistic about his physical appearance, he doesn’t believe it should be a barrier to finding a soulmate. “I feel like King Kong” he told website Zhejiang Online “Hideous, but with a soft and tender heart”.
The world's hairiest man is using an online dating agency to meet ladies after breaking up with his girlfriend of three years.
Hair-raising antics
Rather than allow his affliction to dominate his life, Yu Zhenhuan has embraced his notoriety. At the age of six, he starred in his own film “A Hairy Child’s Adventure” and, after being named the world’s hairiest man, pursued a career as a rock star after mastering the guitar and saxophone. Last August, he made an audacious attempt to be included in China’s Olympic build-up after starting a campaign to participate in the traditional pre-Olympic torch relay.
But away from the limelight, Yu’s life has not always been easy. He has had five operations to remove hair from his nose and ears. He also needed help from dentists to repair his gums which, at one point, threatened to engulf his teeth.
As he embarks on his online search for a bride, there is also some doubt surrounding his status as a record breaker. Two Mexican brothers, Victor and Gabriel Ramos Gomez, claim to be hairier than Yu, with 98 per cent of their bodies covered in hair. The pair share a condition called hypertrichosis which has also become known as Werewolf Syndrome.
