UK’s oldest man puts long life down to fish and chips every Friday
‘The future holds what it does – you can’t do very much about it,’ says John Tinniswood
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The UK’s oldest man has said that his secret to a long life is having fish and chips for dinner every Friday.
John Tinniswood, 109, celebrated his birthday earlier this month and shared some of his tips for living a full life.
“Never exceed what you can normally do,” he told ITV News.
‘Otherwise you’re going to injure yourself either physically or mentally. So stay within your limits of what you can do.’
When asked if he had any further words of wisdom for a long life, he replied that would be “impudent” and that we should “let each do as they want”.
When asked about the future, he replied: “The future holds what it does – you can’t do very much about it.”
To mark his birthday, Mr Tinniswood received a telegram from the Queen - the ninth one he has received since turning 100.
Upon receiving the card, he teased that he could “get a couple of hundred quid for this” and asked “she hasn’t put her phone number, has she?”
Mr Tinniswood was previously married, having tied the know with his wife, Blodwen, in 1942.
They had one daughter together, Susan, in 1943 and were married for 44 years before Blodwen died in 1986.
The UK’s oldest man on record, Henry Allingham, died at the age of 113 in 2009.
For one month, he was the oldest recorded man on the planet.
The oldest woman in the UK on record was Charlotte Hughes, who passed away in 1993 at the age of 115.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments