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A 100-year-old woman claims to have the secret to a long life, and suggests that ‘not speaking to strange men’ is key if you want to get to her age.
To be fair, it’s a pretty sound piece of advice at any age.
Olive Westerman has been all around the world, travelling alongside her husband Sam, who worked as a writer and a travel clerk, living in Singapore for three of her hundred years.
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That means that she’s had ample opportunity to shoot the breeze with a long list of very strange men, you’d have to imagine.
However, not chatting to them is key – she says – if you want to stay alive into the triple figures.
Whilst Olive and Sam didn’t have any children, she did work as a nursery nurse over her career, and being around children is another thing she claims has kept her young.
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Now, she’s celebrated her move into three digits with a birthday tea party at the care home she lives in, which included a present of a bottle of Estee Lauder perfume from the staff, a tradition started by her late husband.
Olive, from West Yorkshire, said: "Avoid talking to strange men and you’ll be just fine.
"I think that the best advice I could give is simply to be happy and content to be alive, and to make the most of what you have.
"Over the years I have spent a lot of time working with children, and this will certainly help to keep you young at heart!
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"I actually can’t believe I’m now 100, but it feels amazing.
"I was absolutely thrilled to receive a card from King Charles and Camilla."
Olive must be one of the first to receive a card from the new king, so that’s definitely something to kick off the celebrations.
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Her actual birthday was on January 16, and she celebrated it at Deewater Grange care home in Chester before heading off to a lovely afternoon tea at Inglewood Manor.
Despite her age, Olive is still well-known and highly-regarded for her wit and humour, as well as her love of travelling – even though she doesn’t get to do so much of it these days.
On her favourite place, she remarked: “I have spent some time living overseas and my favourite place to live was Singapore - I loved it there.
"It was such an interesting and exciting place to be, and so different from England."
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As for how she came to meet Sam – and in turn set off on these adventures around the world – she explained: “Me and my husband met at the local church we used to attend every Sunday.
"We got chatting one day after mass and we hit it off immediately.
"What I loved about him most was his kind and gentle nature, and the fact he was always trying to help others."
Tom Wood