Oldest person in France turns 114

Born on July 28 1903 to a Breton fishing family, she began working at 14 and retired at 73.

Originally from Paimpol in Brittany, she married at 26 and relocated permanently to the Côte d’Azur.

Since 2010 she has lived in the Aux trois tilleuls retirement home in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume near Aix-en-Provence.

She claims to not know the secret behind her longevity, although she acknowledged that she keeps her mind active by reading and following the news.

Speaking to sudouest.fr about her daily routine, she said, “I walk a bit in the corridors, I eat, then I return to my bedroom. I don’t talk much to the others, as quite a few of them have lost their minds.”

The previous ‘doyenne’ of France was Élisabeth Collot, who died last year aged 113.

The longest confirmed lifespan was that of Jeanne Calment from Arles in the Bouches-du-Rhône. She died in 1997 at the age of 122. She claimed to have never been ill despite having smoked for the majority of her life.