Secret of Ringo’s youth? His hardy Shetland roots
RINGO Starr’s youthful looks drew flattering comments when he was seen out shopping with his son, Jason, recently.
Now it appears his enviable appearance could owe less to working out and eating carrots, as he claims, and more to the Beatles drummer’s Shetland roots.
It has emerged that Ringo, 75, is the great-grandson of Andrew Johnson, a 19th-century merchant seaman who left the Shetland parish of Deltin for Liverpool.
And many of the star’s Scottish relatives have lived to a grand old age. The drummer could have scores of cousins in Shetland, many of whom will have no idea they are related to the legendary musician.
Retired primary school teacher Dorothy Williamson, 76, was delighted to learn of the connection from her friend Joan Robertson, at the Shetland Family History Society.
She said: ‘Nobody in the family knew anything about it. The reaction was just amazement.’
Ringo’s great-great-grandfather, Peter Johnson, was a brother to Mrs Williamson’s great-grandfather, another Andrew Johnson, whose picture bears a resemblance to the drummer. That makes Mrs Williamson a third cousin of Ringo’s mother, Elsie.
Mrs Williamson said: ‘When I was watching the Beatles on TV, I had no idea I was watching my third cousin once removed. On the whole, the Johnsons were quite long-living people. Good genes.’