A 100-year-old woman has revealed the secret to a very long and happy life - and it's "avoiding strange men" at all costs. Olive Westerman, from South Kirby, West Yorkshire, celebrated her landmark birthday last week and reflected on the last 10 decades that were spent laughing and travelling.
The retired nursery nurse says working with young children keeps her heart young, but steering clear of odd strangers is what really helped her reach 100.
Olive added: "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."
She's avoided strange men for 10 whole decades (Deeswater Grange Care Home / SWN)
Olive says she makes the most of every single day (Deeswater Grange Care Home / SWN)"I actually can't believe I'm now 100 but it feels amazing," Olive said. "I was absolutely thrilled to receive a card from King Charles and Camilla."
Olive turned 100 on 16 January 2022 at Deewater Grange residential home in Chester and enjoyed a high tea at Inglewood Manor.
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Staff carried on the tradition her late husband Sam started by presenting her with a bottle of Estee Lauder perfume for the big day.
The centenarian is well known at the home for her sense of humour and love of travelling.
"I have spent some time living overseas and my favourite place to live was Singapore - I loved it there," she said.
"It was such an interesting and exciting place to be, and so different from England."
Sharing her fond memories of Sam, who was a writer and travel clerk, Olive added: "Me and my husband met at the local church we used to attend every Sunday.
She celebrated her 100th birthday in style with friends this month (Deeswater Grange Care Home / SWN)"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."
Another woman who recently celebrated her 100th birthday recalled getting a telegram from the late Queen Elizabeth II, the day after the monarch's death.
Gwendolyn Hoare, 100, read out the telegram, in audio recorded by the family and given to the BBC, and described it as an "honour".
She said it made her "feel quite tearful" and laughed as she added: "I'm a royalist...old fashioned."
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Her niece, Sue Beckett from Essex, wrote on the BBC tributes to the Queen online page: "My Aunt, Gwendolyn Betty Hoare, is 100 today.
"For decades she talked about receiving a telegram from the Queen and was devastated to hear the news... but her telegram arrived (on Friday) and she was ecstatic."
Do you have a real-life story to share? Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
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