'Having size 19 feet is a real problem', says job hunter
- Published
A man with size 19 feet has said finding shoes that fit is such a struggle he would have to pay almost £2,000 to get them made.
David Henderson, 39, cannot get ordinary leather shoes off the shelf and has to make do with trainers.
He blames his footwear for his inability to secure work in retail, which generally requires smart shoes.
He told BBC Scotland that he is often teased about his shoe size and it was a "real problem".
Mr Henderson, from Methil, Fife, spoke about the challenges he faces having such large feet on the Morning programme with Stephen Jardine.
He said he was aged 16 when he first realised that his feet may be larger than average.
"It was then that I realised I had problems finding shoes - at the time they were a size 16," he recalled.
"Now I'm up to a size 19.
"At 18 onwards I started wondering, what's going on here?"
He said people had made comments about his foot size in the past.
The average male shoe in Scotland is a 10.
David Henderson's trainers dwarf more typically-sized footwear
He said: "(People) notice (the) big feet as you're walking down or going places. People stare and look and comment.
"They say things like 'there's Big Foot' and 'there's banana boat' - all different names.
"I try and blank it and switch off, but it does affect me... in different ways."
He said finding trainers was not a problem but sourcing dress shoes or work shoes is an issue.
He said: "To get shoes I have to get them specially made, where it costs up to £2,000 to get. And that's a standard leather sole."
The job hunter says he has experienced problems securing work because of his feet
Mr Henderson, a former security guard, said he has struggled to get work over the last nine years.
"The jobs I apply for they say black shoes as part of the uniform - and obviously I can't get black shoes," he told the programme.
"I have had a few job interviews and basically they say the uniform is black shoes, black trousers, white shirt or T-shirt.
"But when you say 'well, I take a size 19 shoe', their reactions vary."