diff --git a/src/generic/grid.cpp b/src/generic/grid.cpp
index 64b2113ebf..ddc158258a 100644
--- a/src/generic/grid.cpp
+++ b/src/generic/grid.cpp
@@ -6139,9 +6139,18 @@ void wxGrid::GetTextBoxSize( const wxDC& dc,
     size_t i;
     for ( i = 0; i < lines.GetCount(); i++ )
     {
-        dc.GetTextExtent( lines[i], &lineW, &lineH );
-        w = wxMax( w, lineW );
-        h += lineH;
+        if ( lines[i].empty() )
+        {
+            // GetTextExtent() would return 0 for empty lines, but we still
+            // need to account for their height.
+            h += dc.GetCharHeight();
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            dc.GetTextExtent( lines[i], &lineW, &lineH );
+            w = wxMax( w, lineW );
+            h += lineH;
+        }
     }
 
     *width = w;