When you stand 6ft 9in tall and are one of the most recognisable strongmen on the planet, people are bound to have questions. For Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson — aka The Mountain — the curiosity often extends to his marriage.
The Icelandic giant, 36, is the only man in history to win the Arnold Strongman Classic, Europe’s Strongest Man and World’s Strongest Man all in the same year. He’s also no stranger to the screen, with acting credits in Game of Thrones, The Northman, Operation Ragnarok and Pharaoh’s War. But for fans, the thing that stands out most — besides his monstrous frame — is his marriage to 35-year-old Kelsey Henson, who is just 5ft 2in tall.
That’s a full 19-inch difference between husband and wife, and as well as an estimated 300lbs+ weight different, the sheer size difference between the couple has sparked non-stop questions from fans ever since they tied the knot in 2018.
And during a live Instagram Q&A, when one fan asked Kelsey one of the most common questions she gets about their relationship: “How do you kiss?”
Rather than dodge it, she leaned into the humour. “Ah, he bends, I tiptoe. Or just say screw it, pick me up!” came her reply.
The couple often joke about the struggles their height gap creates — including something as simple as taking photos together. “Never get fully in the frame together….tall with short people problem,” Kelsey once wrote on Instagram.
In fact, the couple often shares videos to their social media pages showcasing how their size difference can result in some hilarious situations:
On the strongman scene, Björnsson has returned to doing what he does best — rewriting the record books. Earlier this month in Birmingham’s Utilita Arena, he produced a staggering 510kg (1,124lb) deadlift to smash his own world record. The lift was executed so smoothly that referee Magnús Ver Magnússon called it “the easiest down signal decision” of his career.
Having now extended Eddie Hall’s famous half-tonne benchmark by 10kg, Thor told the crowd: “The sky is the limit…I could take the record to 550kg.”
He then went on to sweep the Strongman Open, finishing eight points clear of North America’s Strongest Man, Bryce Johnson.
Featured image credit: Instagram/thorbjornsson
