How to live to 100 - secrets from centenarians

You might feel like time is charging away from you, but the truth is that statistically we have more of it than ever before. 

"Over the past 150 years, there has been a remarkable change,’ says economist Andrew Scott, author of The Longevity Imperative.

"In high-income countries, life expectancy has increased by two or three years every decade. That’s like saying to someone at the end of the day, here’s another six to eight hours."

In short, we are now likely to become very old. 

• The latest data, from 2023, released in March 2025 by the ONS, estimated there are a total of 16,140 centenarians in the UK
• 14,850 centenarians were living in England and Wales, a figure that has more than doubled since 2002.
• There were 1,000 centenarians in Scotland, and 290 in Northern Ireland.
• Estimates suggest that only around 20% of how we age is genetic, while a staggering 80% is influenced by our behaviour and environment. 

How to live to 100 - secrets from centenarians

Here’s what some of our centenarian readers said when asked the secret to their longevity:

"It’s all in the genes"

Deirdre Becket, 101 years old, Leeds

“Getting along with others is vital - I can’t remember falling out with anyone, ever. Life is too short. I’m sure happy, positive people have a greater chance of living into old age than those who worry constantly.” 

“I get up when I wake up, whether that’s at eight or 11. I do Wordle on my laptop, then play Spider Solitaire for a couple of hours. I must keep the brain working.”

"The secret is luck"

John Roberts, 100 years old, Kent

"The secret is luck. I was fortunate that I was good at games, playing rugby and cricket for the Navy without injury (I joined at 13; I’m one of the few remaining D-Day veterans).

I played my last rugby match aged 61 and spent the next day in bed. 'Serves you right,' said the doctor.”

"Make the most of your friendships"

Pat Hough, 100 years old, Cheshire

“Make the most of your friendships and meet up while you still can. Keep a diary. Take photographs, and don’t underestimate the importance of captions.

"That’s the trouble these days - you can’t scribble details on the back of digital photos. Your family will want to know who those people were, and what you were doing”.

"Don’t try for perfection"

Betty McLaughlin, 101 years old, Glasgow 

“A long, happy relationship doesn’t hurt”“Love and Family is everything - what more do you need? Don’t try for perfection, just do the best you can.

"Worrying is futile, and I’d like to see more kindness in the world.”