World's oldest man, 112, says there's no secret to his longevity

New Delhi: The world’s oldest living man, John Tinniswood, recently celebrated his 112th birthday but says he has no "special secrets" to share about his longevity, BBC reported in an article titled “World's oldest man: 'No special secret to long life.'"

Tinniswood, who was born in Liverpool on 26 August 1912, told Guinness World Records that he has "no idea at all" why he has lived so long. He became the world’s oldest living man in April after the death of 114-year-old Juan Vicente Pérez Mora. A lifelong Liverpool fan, Tinniswood now resides in a care home in Southport.

Reflecting on his long life, Tinniswood told the BBC, "You either live long or you live short, and you can’t do much about it." He added that he had been "quite active as a youngster" and did "a lot of walking," but he believes he is "no different" from anyone else.

Born the same year the Titanic sank, Tinniswood takes turning 112 "in my stride like anything else." He met his wife, Blodwen, at a dance in Liverpool, and they married in 1942. The couple had one daughter, Susan, who was born in 1943. They enjoyed 44 years together before Blodwen's death in 1986.

During World War II, Tinniswood served in an administrative role for the Army Pay Corps, where he was responsible for locating stranded soldiers and organizing food supplies. He is now the world’s oldest surviving male WWII veteran.

After the war, Tinniswood worked as an accountant for Shell and BP until his retirement in 1972. He says he has no special diet and eats whatever is provided to him. "I eat what they give me, and so does everybody else," he noted, adding that he does enjoy a portion of fish and chips every Friday.

Since turning 100 in 2012, Tinniswood has received an annual birthday card from the monarch, starting with the late Queen Elizabeth II and now from King Charles III. When asked if the world had changed much since his childhood, he commented, "It’s no better in my opinion, or hardly any better, than it was then."

The oldest man ever was Jiroemon Kimura from Japan, who lived to the age of 116 years and 54 days before passing away in 2013. The world’s oldest living woman and person is Japan’s 116-year-old Tomiko Itooka.