A North-East man is head and shoulders above the rest - he has been chosen as a finalist in a search for Britain's sexiest short bloke.

Norman Allen, 41, from Shildon, who is 5ft 3in, beat off competition from thousands of men across the country to win a place in the contest.

He was nominated by wife Jenny, who said: "He may be short but he's the most gorgeous, sexy guy I've ever met. He's so confident and just laughs when people joke about his height.

"He's so handsome, kind and loving. I'm glad he's not taller or I'd be terrified of losing him to some supermodel or other."

Norman was thrilled when he made it to the last 22 of the contest, run by Woman's magazine Chat, whose readers will vote for the overall winner.

He said: "I was flattered when my wife read about the competition and immediately thought to enter me, and absolutely gob-smacked to go through to the finals.

"I don't consider myself especially short, because I've grown up with it, nor sexy because the only exercise I do is golf but this is quite exciting and a bit of good fun."

If Norman wins he stands to receive £1,000 and a holiday.

Chat editor Paul Merrill said: "Our readers know that short blokes have a lot to offer. The best things sometimes come in small packages."