117-year-old woman attributes longevity to 'no arguments with anyone'

Celebrating her 117th birthday, Ethel Caterham shares her secret to a long life: avoiding arguments, listening attentively, and always pursuing her passions.

Ethel Caterham, the oldest living woman in the UK, celebrated her 117th birthday on 21/8, according to CNN. Currently residing in a care facility in Surrey, approximately 40 km from London, she has made history as the first British person to reach the age of 117, a milestone confirmed by Guinness World Records.

Speaking to the PA news agency, she shared that she had a wonderful celebration with family and friends and is looking forward to good things in the new year. On this occasion, she also received birthday wishes from Joao Marinhoneto, the oldest living man in the world, who resides in Brazil.

Ethel Caterham. *Photo: AP*

Last September, shortly after her 116th birthday, Caterham had the honor of a visit from King Charles III. Recalling the King's investiture as Prince of Wales in 1969, when he was 21 years old, Caterham humorously remarked that at the time, every girl was smitten and wished to marry him.

Discussing her secret to living for over a century, Caterham attributes her longevity to her attitude towards life. "I calmly accept everything that comes my way, both the ups and downs," she shared with BBC Radio Surrey in 2020, adding that her motto is "never argue with anyone." She stated, "I listen and do what I like."

Her life has spanned a series of major historical events, including two World Wars, the sinking of the Titanic, the Russian Revolution, and the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Guinness World Records, she is also among the oldest people to have recovered from Covid-19 after contracting the illness in 2020 at the age of 110.

Caterham was born on 21/8/1909, in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, in southern England, the second youngest of eight siblings. She is the last living Briton to have been born during the reign of King Edward VII.

At the age of 18, she traveled alone to India to work as a nanny for a military family. In 1931, she met a British army officer at a dinner party and married him two years later. After living in Salisbury, she moved abroad and established a nursery school in Hong Kong, China. Returning to England, she and her husband raised two daughters, both of whom passed away before her. Her husband also died in 1976. Caterham currently has three granddaughters and five great-grandchildren.

Her family possesses a longevity gene; one of her sisters, Gladys, lived to be 104 years old.

The record for the oldest person in history currently belongs to Jeanne Calment, a French woman who passed away in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days.