It Wasn't Food or Exercise... The Secret to Longevity for the World's Oldest 116-Year-Old Woman

Celebrates 116th Birthday on the 21st

The oldest person in the world and the oldest person in British history, a grandmother from the UK, has celebrated her 116th birthday.

According to the BBC and Guinness World Records on the 21st (local time), Edna Ketterham spent her 116th birthday with her family at a care home in Lightwater, Surrey, UK.

On the 21st (local time), Edna Ketterham, the world's oldest person from the UK, celebrated her 116th birthday. Screenshot from the Guinness World Records website

She became the world’s oldest person after the passing of Sister Ina Cannavaro Lucas (1908-2025) from Brazil in April. In addition, by surpassing the age of the previous record holder, Charlotte Hughes (1877-1993), she became the longest-lived person in British history.

Ketterham was born on August 21, 1909, in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, UK, as the second of eight siblings, about five years before the outbreak of World War I. She led a colorful life. As a teenager in 1927, she sailed alone for three weeks to start a new life in India. There, she worked as a nanny for a British family and met her husband Norman, who was serving in the military at the time. The couple settled in Surrey and had two daughters, Jem and Anne. Later, when Norman was stationed in Hong Kong, Ketterham established a nursery there for both local and British children.

The Secret to Her Longevity: "A Positive Mindset"

However, her life was not without hardship. Ketterham lost her husband in 1976 and outlived both of her children. Jem passed away in the early 2000s, and Anne died of cancer in February 2020 at the age of 82. Ketterham contracted COVID-19 in 2020 at the age of 110 but overcame it. Her younger sister, Gladys Bavillas, who died on March 9, 2002, also lived a long life, reaching 104 years and 78 days.

Ketterham celebrated her birthday with three granddaughters and five great-grandchildren. She cited a positive mindset as the secret to her longevity. Ketterham advised, "Say 'yes' to any opportunity. You never know what might happen," and added, "Maintain a positive outlook and do everything in moderation."