You’ll NEVER guess their age, so... Have these two found the secret of eternal youth?
Believe it or not, these men and women are all octogenarians. More astonishing still, NONE takes medication. Here, they reveal their secrets to defying the years
We’re living longer than ever, with UK life expectancy now 79 for men and 83 for women. But those later years can be troubled by ill health — millions of pensioners take five pills a day on average.
Yet it is possible to have a long, healthy life without medication — as the experiences of these extraordinary over-80s show.
Here, the super-agers reveal their tips, while Dr Adam Simon, a GP in Manchester, explains what it is about their lifestyles that’s made such a difference . . .
GOOD POSTURE AND A GREAT MARRIAGE!
Jess Conrad oBe, 82, an actor and singer, lives in Buckinghamshire with his wife, renee, 75, a retired model. They have two daughters and two grandchildren. Jess is 6ft 2in and weighs 13st (Body Mass Index 23, ‘healthy’). WHen I was a boy, I watched the film Bambi and I was bowled over by Bambi’s father, this majestic stag. I told myself: ‘That’s how you need to stand, with your chin up.’ And I always have.
Posture is so important for looking good and feeling healthy.
I also try to have a smile on my face. If you seem positive, people view you more positively. You see people my age who, by the way they stand, look old — I think it makes them feel old, too.
I come from a time when British men didn’t work out the way they do now, but Americans did. I wanted to be able to open my shirt and look like Burt Lancaster in From Here To eternity, so I started working with weights in my late teens, going to the gym and playing football three times a week until I was 75. Then it got a bit too tiring.
now, I take my exercise playing in charity golf tournaments but, in my line of work, you expend a lot of energy — I still do concerts, sometimes twice a week.
Sunshine is really important: if the sun is out, I get outside as much as I can, even if it’s just going into the garden with a cup of tea.
Work is vital to staying young. The last time I was ill was a few years ago.
I developed pneumonia, but I was doing panto so I struggled on — when my doctor found out, he said it could have killed me.
I’ve never been a big eater and I only drink around five glasses of white wine a week. I take a multivitamin and turmeric supplement every day, because it has powerful anti-inflammatory effects.
A good marriage also keeps you young. I married renee, a Dutch model who became famous as Miss Camay, 55 years ago. I first laid eyes on her when she appeared in a bath of bubbles on a TV advert!
We have a lovely life together — we go out and have lots of friends, all of which invigorates me. EXPERT COMMENT: Jess is right to respect posture. Over time, the back curves forward, but standing straight is good for toning muscle groups, which means as an older person, you’ll be less likely to fall.
He’s also right about sunshine, which is needed for the body to make vitamin D — essential for healthy bones and a strong immune system. This could be key to why Jess has good energy levels.
Lots of older people are confined inside and don’t get enough sun.
WORKS FULL TIME AND DRINKS VEGGIE WATER
Jan HunT, 80, a theatre producer, lives in surrey and has a son and two grandchildren. she is 5ft 2in and weighs 9st 7lb (BMI 24, ‘healthy’). MY MUM, who died aged 92, used to wake up every day and say: ‘Thank you, Lord, for another day.’ It’s a marvellous mantra and it immediately makes you latch on to the positive, which is not always an easy thing to do.
I picked up other things from her, too. For example, if she was boiling spring greens, she would drink the cooled-down water afterwards, as it was full of vitamins that had leached from the vegetables.
I’m rarely ill — I had pneumonia 30 years ago, but have never needed medicine since then, unlike many of my contemporaries, sadly.
I don’t follow a particular health regimen — I just spend my time rushing around and that seems to keep me fit.
I’m still working full-time and can be involved with two shows simultaneously, for up to six days a week, but I love to keep busy. I