The Guinness World Records (GWR) has confirmed that the world’s oldest living person, Ethel Caterham, has turned 116.

Caterham, who lives in Surrey, England, reached the milestone on Thursday, August 21, 2025.

She was first verified on April 30, 2024, at 115 years and 252 days, when she was officially recognised as the oldest living woman and the longest-surviving Briton.

Born on August 21, 1909, in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, Caterham surpassed Charlotte Hughes, who lived from 1877 to 1993, to become the oldest British person ever recorded.

At the age of 18, she travelled to India to work as a nanny before meeting her husband, Major Norman Caterham, in 1931. They married in 1933 and later moved to Hong Kong, where she set up a nursery for British and local children.

The couple eventually settled in Surrey and had two daughters, Gem and Anne.

Her husband died in 1976, while both daughters also predeceased her. Gem passed in the early 2000s and Anne died of cancer in 2020 at the age of 82.

Caterham is now celebrated by her three granddaughters, five great-grandchildren, and extended family members.

When asked about the secret to her longevity, she once told the Salisbury Journal: “Say yes to every opportunity because you never know what it will lead to. Have a positive mental attitude and have everything in moderation.”

She is believed to be the last living person born in 1909 and also one of the oldest known survivors of COVID-19, after recovering from the illness at 110.