The World’s Oldest Person Turns 116
Ethel Caterham, who lives in a Surrey care home, has celebrated her 116th birthday, making her both the world’s oldest living person and the oldest British person in history. Born on 21st August 1909 in Hampshire, she has lived through two world wars, and is one of the oldest people to survive COVID-19 after she contracted the illness at 110 in 2020.
Ethel, who took the title of world’s oldest following the death of Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas earlier this year, is apparently spending her birthday “quietly with her family” so she could “enjoy it at her own pace,” according to a statement released by her care home in Surrey.
Over her lifetime, she worked as a nanny in India, opened a nursery in Hong Kong, and later settled in the UK with her husband, Norman, a lieutenant colonel in the British Army. Once asked about her secret to long life, she said: “Say yes to every opportunity because you never know what it will lead to. Have a positive mental attitude and have everything in moderation.” Though she has outlived her husband and both daughters, she continues to be surrounded by grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who are celebrating the milestone with her.
