100-year-old woman smokes 40 cigarettes daily

While her daughter died young from healthy eating, the British centenarian attributes her longevity to a diet rich in butter and marmalade, alongside dozens of cigarettes daily.

Margaret Ham, who turned 100 on 27/6, attributes her longevity to "marmalade and smoking 40 cigarettes a day", according to The Telegraph. Ham still walks independently and manages her household without assistance.

Her 47-year-old granddaughter, Rachael Matthews, states that her grandmother has never abandoned these habits despite health warnings. Additionally, Ham maintains her preference for Yorkshire tea, a renowned traditional black tea in Britain, drinking it daily instead of water.

"My grandmother smokes from 20 to 40 cigarettes a day and has had that habit for a very long time," shared Matthews, who owns a fashion store in Daneshill, Basingstoke, Hampshire. "She has never intended to quit smoking and certainly won't stop anytime soon."

At 100, Margaret Ham lives independently and maintains her smoking habit, despite health warnings. *Rachael Matthews/SWNS*.

According to her granddaughter, Ham "only enjoys strong-flavored items, like Yorkshire tea brewed with full-fat milk. Not semi-skimmed milk, but pure Jersey full-fat milk." Matthews added, "It's incredible; the older generation seems to be made of a very different kind of stuff. She also loves eating butter with marmalade, with the butter spread about 2,5 cm thick." Matthews also noted that her grandmother rarely drinks alcohol.

Matthews' mother died at just 52 after trying to maintain a healthy diet. "My grandmother then said, 'See, I'll just continue living my way'," she recounted.

Matthews states that Ham currently lives independently as few family members remain. Her grandmother reaching 100 years old is a miracle, so Matthews wants to celebrate this milestone and have her "flooded with greeting cards" from the community.

"She uses her walking stick quite skillfully," Matthews shared. "I'm thinking she might hit me with it when she finds out what I've done."

Matthews checks on her grandmother daily. Every sunday, the two have dinner together at Ham's home. Additionally, Ham enjoys spending time with her 23-year-old great-granddaughter, Megan.

Margaret Ham and her granddaughter Matthews. *Rachael Matthews/SWNS*.

Ham was born in 1926 in Bristol and experienced the war years there. Matthews mentioned that neighbors were envious of her grandmother's bomb shelter, as it was one of the deepest and largest on the street.

"She vividly remembers a bomber flying very low and crashing not far from where she lived," her granddaughter recounted. "She described that experience as terrifying."

At 18, Ham joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), an organization established in 1939. After two years of military service, she moved to Kilburn. There, she met her partner and had two daughters, Linda (Matthews' aunt) and Sheila (Matthews' mother). The family later settled in Basingstoke.

To keep the surprise gift a secret, Matthews asks people to send greeting cards to her personal address, which she will then deliver to her grandmother. She hopes well-wishers can address the cards to "Margaret" or "NanNan" (a term of endearment for grandmother).

According to health experts, longevity is linked to factors such as genetics, environment, psychology, or pure probabilistic luck. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that tobacco claims approximately 8 million lives annually, with smokers losing an average of 10 to 15 years of life expectancy compared to non-smokers. Large-scale studies indicate that not smoking and not drinking alcohol are among many factors that contribute to good health and disease prevention.