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Jaws dropped when model-turned-author Sophie Dahl confirmed that she was making beautiful with jazz musician Jamie Cullum.

Although neither of them are tabloid regulars, their romance made headlines simply because of their eight-inch height difference: Sophie is 6’3” in heels, while pint-sized Jamie measures up to just 5’4”.

The couple, who met when they sang a duet at a charity function in March 2007, now live together in London and seem totally unfazed by the public scrutiny. “When you’re really happy you don’t give a s**t,” says Sophie. “I think if we were both slightly more neurotic people, it would be crippling, but the fact of the matter is that we’re both happy. It’s cool.”

- Pint-sized men and their leggy lovers

Sophie is one of an increasing band of statuesque female celebs who have fallen for the charms of a much shorter man. Leggy model and ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ contestant Penny Lancaster is three inches taller than her husband Rod Stewart, and proudly admits that her legs are her best feature. “Rod likes a long-legged girl, as everyone knows, and, no, he couldn’t care less that I’m taller than him.”

Nicole Kidman, who celebrated her divorce from Tom Cruise with the words, “Now I can wear heels,” is still an inch taller than her new husband Keith Urban. And although an inch doesn’t sound like much, it means that she towers over him when she wears killer heels to red carpet events. But at least this time round she’s walking tall rather than resigning herself to flats.

Not even Katie Holmes has given up her high heels since becoming the new Mrs Cruise – she’s even been snapped wearing stilettos on the beach. But that’s not to say that height isn’t a touchy subject in the TomKat household.

When American Talk Show host David Letterman asked Katie how she feels about Tom Cruise being two inches shorter she made it quite clear that the topic was off limits. He was met with a puzzled expression before she explained that she didn’t know what he was talking about. “I think he’s sexy,” was all she would say on the matter.

So is it no longer such a big deal to choose small and perfectly formed over tall, dark and handsome?

Studies indicate that, in general, women are still more likely to choose tall men, but it seems there might be a different set of rules for the Amazonian actresses and models who occupy the A-list.

“Tall women don’t tend to look down their noses at short men,” says relationship expert Anita Naik. “Short women tend to do that, possibly because they have their own issues about being short and want a ‘bigger’ partner. In terms of celebrity couples, famous women often feel secure enough that they don’t care how tall their partner is – although the fact the men in question are usually rich and powerful probably helps to make them more attractive.”

So it seems that celeb women really don’t mind if their Mr Right doesn’t measure up in the height department. Just look at towering model-turned-designer L’Wren Scott who is credited with ‘taming’ Mick Jagger, who is six inches shorter than her.

Or Brigitte Nielsen, who says she prefers shorter men because, “I like to have men look at me from the bottom to the top.”

So if Brigitte gets bored of her fifth husband Mattia Dessi – who is six inches shorter than her – perhaps she should hook up with the recently divorced Verne Troyer. He’s just 2’ 8”, so there would be a 3’ 5” height gap. Or maybe that’s taking it a bit too far...