text: Like super-models, they follow a strict daily diet — in their case, three carrots, an apple and a few cabbage leaves — to keep in shape for their public appearances. Over recent months, they have been feted across the globe and pampered wherever they go. One is even going to have a song written about his life. But when I meet Darius — the biggest rabbit on earth — and his similarly sized son, there is little evidence of diva behaviour. Former Playboy model Annette Edwards holds her world record Continental Giant rabbit Darius aloft . Five-year-old Darius is 4ft long and weighs just under 3st — the king of the Continental Giant breed. He is the size of an average eight-year-old child. Slightly wary, I join him on the floor of his owner's home in the Worcestershire village of Stoulton and find he is a thoroughly gentle soul. He sits quietly, as I stroke his ultra-soft, grey fur, and examine his outsized ears and paws. Darius seems nonchalant about his world record — and untroubled that he is set to lose his title to his son, Jeff. Aged only one, Jeff is already 3ft 8in long and weighs 2st. With a rabbit's peak weight and length kicking in at the age of two, Jeff has got some way to go. 'He's going to get bigger,' says their owner, Annette Edwards. 'His length is amazing. I think he might well take Darius's record.' Annette, a former Playboy model (not a Bunny Girl, it must be noted!), is a genius at giant rabbit-breeding. She has held the record for the world's biggest rabbit, with different animals, since 2008. It would be no surprise if Jeff took the title off his dad: after all, Darius took it from his own mother, Alice. Darius seems nonchalant about his world record — and untroubled that he is set to lose his title to his son, Jeff . Annette, who has owned 100 bunnies over the past ten years, says the art of giant rabbit-breeding is simple. 'It's the same as humans,' she says. 'Some breeders make the mistake of only having one big parent. Both parents have got to be big. Jeff's mum, Sally, is 3ft 5in long. She's one of mine, too.' The crucial thing is that rabbits from the same family shouldn't interbreed. 'You mustn't,' Annette stresses. 'You end up with all sorts of illnesses, and overgrown teeth.' Unsurprisingly, nutritious food is at the heart of giant rabbit- breeding, and Annette admits that Darius is 'very greedy'. As well as those daily carrots, apples and cabbage leaves, her brood have a bale of fresh hay a week between them. But, even with these hearty appetites, rabbit-breeding is a cheap hobby: £10 a week in grub for both bunnies. And medical care isn't expensive, either. 'They don't need much looking after,' Annette says. 'Only vaccinations against myxomatosis, and solutions to get rid of fly eggs.' Certainly, Darius — recently given a clean bill of health by vets — seems to be in very good condition, as well as being intensely relaxed. It's only when I boldly try to pick him up — it's like lifting a hefty toddler — that he struggles a bit. Apparently, he's a little shy of strangers but very affectionate once you get to know him. 'Darius has more experience with people,' says Annette. 'But he's a little slower. He plods around and follows me more. Jeff follows in his footsteps but he's more energetic because he's younger.' Annette is currently single but insists that sharing her home with giant rabbits hasn't affected her love life. 'No one has ever minded them,' she says, 'I'd only be with someone who likes animals.' She is clearly devoted to the rabbits and looks after them with great attention. 'A lot of giants only live until the age of five. But mine live to eight to ten.' On the sad day that they die, Annette's beloved bunnies are buried in the garden under a rose tree. This devotion to animals began in her childhood. 'I was an only child brought up by my grandmother,' says Annette, who herself is a grandmother of 14 and a mother of ten. 'I had a couple of rabbits as pets. I adored them — they were my little friends.' Giant genes: Jeff and his giant father Darius - who currently holds the record for being the world's largest rabbit . Annette had to put rabbits to one side when she embarked on a modelling career. She was Miss Birmingham at the age of 29, as well as the Face of Nivea and a Page 3 Girl. She still models — 'mostly magazine work' — and, three years ago, at the age of 60, she was the Sun's oldest ever Page 3 Girl. Her work took her around the world, including New York, where she appeared as a model in Playboy magazine. As her children started to grow up, Annette returned to her love of rabbits. A friend put her in touch with a rabbit dealer in Holland, where the Continental Giant comes from. In 2004, she bought Amy and Roberto — they were unrelated, so she could breed them. 'My family were a bit shocked — they thought they were the size of dogs! But I loved that they were so big, so gentle and loving — and very different.' At that stage, Annette had no intention of going for any records. But, after an article on her rabbits appeared in the local paper, she was asked if she had considered applying to the Guinness Book of Records. Like all world records, measurement had to be precise to the last millimetre and gram. To judge their body length, they had to be laid out and measured from front paw to back paw, with legs fully extended. And so it was, in 2008, that Annette learned that 3ft 3in long Amy was a world record holder. Annette has held the record for owner of the world's biggest rabbit ever since. Not surprisingly in this age of bizarre hobbies and record-collecting, there's keen competition — and Darius is insured 'for a lot of money'. Is his title under threat? Annette says: 'No one's come close so far.' Of course, I bet you are asking yourself whether what they say about the rampant breeding habits of rabbits is actually true. Well, the answer is: yes. Rabbits, giant or otherwise — left to their own devices — can produce 60 young a year. Competition: Darius the rabbit measures 4ft 4in long while 3ft 8in Jeff still has six months of growing to do . 'That's cruel — it would kill the mothers in the end,' says Annette. 'So I keep them to two litters a year, each of around four or five rabbits. 'It's important to keep them relaxed. When it's warm outside, they like to lie under a tree in the garden. But in cold weather I keep them indoors [in large dog crates] — although it's the damp you should be more worried about — it gets into their bones.' Annette says her rabbits are easy to have about her home. They roam around the kitchen, garden and a small barn. They don't have access to the rest of the house, although she sometimes takes them into the sitting room, wrapped in a blanket. The rabbits cost £500 a time for personal appearances and have regularly appeared on television — including the Paul O'Grady Show. A musician has asked if he can write a song in Darius's honour, and their record-breaking has featured in news bulletins all over the world. Still, the Kardashians of the rabbit world have kept their cool, and not given in to any of the wicked temptations of global celebrity. Whether Darius retains his title or his son succeeds him, you just know that there will be no bad blood between the two most famous rabbits in the universe.
target: Annette Edwards has owned more than 100 bunnies in the past 10 years .
  She claims the secret to breeding huge rabbits is both parents must be big .
  The former Playboy model has owned the world's largest rabbit since 2008 .
  Her rabbit Darius is 4ft in length but he will soon be eclipsed by his son .