Shopping for your wedding shoes should be a fun and exciting experience, but for one man, this usually special process has reduced him to tears.
Groom-to-be David is the only man in the UK to have a pair of size 19 feet, earning him the unfortunate nickname ‘Sideshow Bob’.
Not only have David’s feet left him feeling self-conscious, it’s been incredibly hard for him to shop for a smart pair of wedding shoes.
As you might imagine, the size of David’s feet mean he can’t exactly grab a nice pair of brogues off the shelf in Marks & Spencer.
David’s shoes had to be specially made for him, meaning wedding shoes in his size would set him back a staggering £2,000. The same price as his fiancé’s wedding gown…
Opening up about life with big feet on The Jeremy Kyle Show, alongside fiancé Annie, David admitted such shoes were out of his price range:
When it was younger it was alright but now I’m older [it’s harder]…. I don’t have £2,000 for a pair of shoes.
David had been stuck in the same trainers for ages, and had been unable to get shoes for his wedding day. He’d also been unable to attend job interviews due to his unusual shoe size.
Annie also spoke of the abuse David had received on the street, with people referring to him as ‘Banana Boat’, ‘Clown Feet’ and ‘Sideshow Bob’. Understandably, these cruel taunts had knocked his confidence.
Walking onto the stage of The Jeremy Kyle Show took a lot of bravery for David, whose self esteem had taken a serious battering. David even confessed to Jeremy he was worried about Annie leaving him on account of his big feet.
David’s mum sadly passed away in May, and before she died she’d expressed her wishes for David to marry Annie. But without a pair of shoes to walk down the aisle in, it was proving difficult for David to fulfill his promise.
However, David was in for a brilliant surprise when Jeremy gifted him a lovely pair of shoes… in just the right size!
Clearly emotional as he regarded his new shoes, an overwhelmed David agreed with Jeremy this had ‘changed everything’, stating, ‘It means so much’.
All the best of luck to David and Annie as they take the next big step in their relationship!
The Jeremy Kyle Show airs weekdays at 9.25am on ITV.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.