Being stopped and asked for photographs is nothing new for Paul Sturgess.

Standing 7ft 7ins tall, wearing a size 19 shoe, the former Cheshire Phoenix player naturally garners much attention wherever he goes.

Having spent a period of time covering the Phoenix home and away during the 2014/15 campaign, I’d been present to witness the gasps whenever Sturgess walked into a room. When the team mini-bus made a toilet stop at McDonalds en route to a game in Sheffield the gaze of everybody in the room was fixed on the likeable guy from Loughborough. He wasn't unnerved, though, this was par for the course.

At 6ft 3ins, I’ve always considered myself to be pretty tall. There is still some kind of joy to be found in being asked to reach the top shelf by someone at the supermarket. But what about when you go beyond being just ‘tall’? When your size affects your day-to-day life and the opportunities afforded to you.

Sturgess officially became Britain’s tallest man earlier this year, albeit in sad circumstances following the death of Neil Fingleton, the Game of Thrones actor.

Cue the inevitable interest from the media and before he knew it, Sturgess was sitting on the This Morning sofa with Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford.

You would be forgiven for thinking that being so tall would have become a burden for Sturgess, something he sometimes wishes he could get away from, if only for a day. But having travelled the world as part of the Harlem Globetrotters, earned a free education in America as part of a basketball scholarship and played the sport professionally, his size has opened up opportunities that most could only dream of.

And he isn’t done yet.

A hopeful punt with an acting agency has manifested itself into something far bigger and Sturgess will be hitting the big screen before too long, appearing alongside the likes of Johnny Depp and Jude Law in Disney and Warner Bros feature films. It has been quite the ride.

“After Neil (Fingleton) died I had a lot of media interest and people were really interested in me and my story,” said Sturgess, who played for Cheshire in their final season at the Northgate Arena in Chester during the 2014/15 season under head coach John Coffino.

“I knew Neil a bit and it was really sad what happened, he was a really nice guy and always friendly whenever I met him. But here I was thrust into the limelight as Britain’s tallest man on the This Morning sofa talking about it all. It is quite surreal.

Paul Sturgess in action for Cheshire Phoenix

“I had planned on taking up acting before all this happened. I went to a few agencies to see if there would any interest and before I knew it I was getting offers for big jobs. I’ve got a film with Disney coming up and one with Warner Bros and I’m working alongside guys like Johnny Depp and Jude Law. It’s crazy how life can change in such a short space of time.

“I was done with basketball and moving away from that whole thing really. My Cheshire Phoenix experience came at a time when I was falling out of love with the game a little and that kind of proved to be the end of it.

“I was planning on getting into teaching as I love working with kids and I was looking at getting a regular job and just being a regular guy. I had been in sport since I was a kid and I though that it was a phase of my life that was coming to an end.”

Sturgess comes from a tall family - his father is 6ft 7ins - but he wasn’t always head and shoulders above the rest.

Only when he entered his mid-teens did things really start to change.

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He recalled: “I was always a tall kid but when I was 15 I had a massive growth spurt and grew about a foot in the space of a year. We went to see a specialist as we wanted to rule out anything bad that it might be and it all came back fine and I had no health issues, I was just tall.”

If ever there is a sport that is suited to those with a height advantage, then it is basketball.

It seemed a natural progression for Sturgess to move into the game when he started to grow significantly and, a gifted sportsman in other disciplines, too, he began playing locally before having his talents recognised. It was to mark a journey in a sport that would take him from Leicestershire to America and on to the Harlem Globetrotters, playing in front of sold-out crowds across the globe.

After being spotted playing for his local side a scholarship at Florida Institute of Technology followed before a year at Mountain State before signing with the Globies. He also had a spell in the NBA D-League with the Texas Legends.

“I was always into sport and always pretty good at it - I was coordinated,” said Sturgess.

“I started playing basketball at my local community college in Loughborough and it all spiralled from there, really.

“I went on to take it more seriously and played a bit with the Derby Trailblazers and then represented Great Britain at under 20 level.

“Billy Mims was a guy that I had know of because of his time in the BBL. He’d played for the Leicester Riders and he knew guys in the UK still and my name got to him when he was coaching at Florida. So I headed out there and got a full scholarship at university. It was the start of the journey.

“I did well in college and had some of the attributes that they wanted, but I wasn’t as rounded a player as you need to be in the NBA. Gone are the days when centres just protect the basket and score in the paint, nowadays 7 footers are expected to handle the ball and shoot the three, and that just wasn’t my game. You see guys now like DeMarcus Cousins who can stretch the floor and who can hit threes. That wasn't me.

“Those limitations and the difficulties with mobility for someone of my size in a game that is so fast paced now were reasons why I knew that dream was out of reach.

“But after I finished college I had the chance to join the Harlem Globetrotters and it was an experience I will never ever forget.

“I was this young guy travelling all over the world playing basketball and entertaining crowds. I visited 38 countries and every state in America by the time that I had finished my two years with them. Here I was, a guy from a little place like Loughborough travelling all over the world, it was incredible.

Paul Sturgess

“The love from the fans was amazing but the real thing I took from it all was how the Globetrotters stood for something and left a mark with the kids. They would speak to kids on stuff like anti-bullying and healthy eating and being proud of yourself, all lessons that kids should be taught. But the kids really listened to us, what we said mattered to them and that is something which has stayed with me. The Globetrotters experience made me a better player, yes, but it made me a better man at the end of it.”

Sturgess continues to be intent on living life to the fullest and to ensure that he embraces the opportunities that come his way.

For me, I tried to imagine myself in his shoes (all size 19 of them). How would I cope? How would I react to the interest of people when just walking down the street or going for a meal. How would it shape me as a person?

For Sturgess, though, his size isn’t something that is a hindrance, it is a blessing. It has been a gateway to a life of opportunity and one that still continues to open doors. It appears he is just scratching the surface and that his future could be even brighter.

Said Sturgess: “I’m a pretty carefree guy and I just enjoy life and meeting people, what others might think of me has never really been an issue for me.

“I’ve never experienced any negativity from people because of my height. I get that when I go out that people will naturally look at me because, let’s face it, I’m tall. But I don’t mind that and I don’t let it get to me, people are usually nice and just interested, there’s nothing wrong with that.

“I’m proud of being tall. How can I have a problem with something that has opened so many doors for me and continues to do so? I have a problem with doors and cars, though. Yeah, they can get really annoying.

Paul Sturgess playing for the world-famous basketball team, the Harlem Globetrotters

“Look, if someone came to me with a magic wand and said I can make you normal height then I would say ‘no way’. This is who I am and I am proud of who I am. People are different and me being this size has meant that I can experience some things that I never would have done otherwise.

“Would I have played professional basketball, travelled the world, gone to university in America and got into acting if I was 5’10 and from Loughborough? I doubt it.

“I don’t think too much about the future. Basketball was something that was coming to an end for me and acting is something that I wanted to try and something that would also take a little bit of strain off my body.

“If you think of two professions that most people would love to do it is being a professional athlete or being in the movies. I’m fortunate enough to have had the chance for both and received a free education, and that is all down to my height. It’s hard for me to think of it as anything other than positive.

“I’m just excited for whatever the future may hold. Maybe Hollywood might still happen for me, that would be pretty special.”