Ethel Caterham, at 115 years old, has become the world’s oldest living person, according to the Gerontology Research Group. On Wednesday, the previous titleholder, Sister Inah Canabarro, passed away at 116 years old. From her residence in Surrey, southwest London, Caterham revealed her secret to a long life: "I never argue with anyone, I listen and do what I like."
Born on August 21, 1909, in Shipton Bellinger, England, five years before the start of World War I, Ethel Caterham is the second youngest of eight siblings. She has a passion for travel in her blood. In 1927, at 18 years old, she traveled to India as a nanny for a British family and returned after three years. In 1931, she met her husband Norman, an older British military man, at a dinner. Together they lived in Hong Kong and Gibraltar, and had two daughters in the UK.
Caterham lost her husband in 1976 and currently resides at Hallmark Lakeview Luxury Care Home in Camberley. The French Jeanne Calment holds the title of the longest-lived person in history, having lived to 122 years and 164 days. Caterham celebrated her milestone of 115 years by cutting a cake and wearing a tiara with the number "115" in a social media post from the residence.