Mr Engines - I don't want to continue this forever, but as it happens I too have been closely associated with this project for a long time. You're correct in saying that the requirement did not make the JORD, but by the time it was eliminated, there was no realistic way that the shape of either contender was going to change very much. Note that the Invincible elevator is 55 feet in length.
Mr. Hancock To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what modifications will be required to the dimensions of the Joint Strike Fighter to permit it to be operated from Invincible class aircraft carriers.
Mr. Spellar The operational requirements document for the Joint Strike Fighter incorporates Royal Navy requirements, which are very similar to those of the US Marines.
Royal Navy requirements include the ability for the Short-Take Off, Vertical Landing variant to operate from the Invincible class aircraft carriers without modification to the aircraft.
Joint Strike Fighter (Hansard, 10 February 1998)
(By the way, thanks for providing the incentive to go and hunt down a primary source.)