‘Bright as a button’ 100-year-old, who lived through The Great Depression and WWII, leaves viewers in disbelief at his youthful looks – as he reveals ALL of his four children are pensioners
- Owen Filer, from Cwmbran, Wales, was born in late 1919 making him 100
- Sprightly OAP has been winning hearts after being interviewed for ITV Wales
- He joked that all of his four children are already well into pensionable age too
- On Twitter, viewers were in disbelief at how articulate Owen is for his years
A Welsh war veteran who agreed to discuss life in lockdown has sparked an avalanche of comments on social media – because people can’t believe he’s the age he says he is.
Sprightly centenarian Owen Filer, from Cwmbran, in Wales, spoke to ITV News about how he was dealing with the current pandemic; and many viewers were left astounded that the ‘bright as a button’ former soldier had lived through both the Second World War and The Great Depression.
He told journalist Rob Osborne: ‘I’ve four kids – and they are all pensioners!’ and even joked: ’69, 71, 73, 75 – that’s going some, isn’t it? You won’t get them in a pram will you?!’.
The short interview, in which Owen talks about how he’s coping with lockdown, has been viewed more than 1.3million times, with many struggling to compute how old the pensioner really is.
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Owen Filer, from Cwmbran, Wales, was born in late 1919 and will celebrate his 101st birthday later this year – a recent interview with ITV News left people struggling to believe that the pensioner is a centenarian
The OAP, who lost his wife in 2004, joked that all four of his children are pensioners now with their ages ranging from 69 to 75 – he quipped: ‘You wouldn’t fit them in a pram’
@mon_wiecka wrote after watching: ‘Wow! Sharp as a tack and funny to boot. He needs to write a book. What’s his secret?’
@barbaraot added: ‘I know 40 year olds who look older than Owen. And aren’t a fraction as articulate.’
@GillibrandPeter wrote: ‘He’s absolutely incredible for 100+ years old.’
@smith20_lisa penned: ‘He’s great and fantastic for his age, 100 wow!! I could listen to him all day.’
@ollmeister added: ‘What a wonderful old fellow. Incredible nick for 100 & still bright as a button. Great to see. Keep going Owen.’
Journalist Osbourne first interviewed Owen back in January while filming in the Welsh town of Newport and struggled to believe that he was the age he was.
ITV journalist Rob Osborne first interviewed Owen back in January and assumed he was joking when he said he was 100 years old – he puts his sprightliness down to a square of dark chocolate and a tot of whiskey a day
Osborne asked Owen: ‘What year were you born?’ only for the pensioner to quip back: ’19/10/19 – ask my mother she was there.’
Owen, who was married to his wife Elunyd till her death in 2004, served in India during the Second World War and worked for British Rail from the age of 15.
The couple went on to have four children and Owen now has ten grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren.
The 100-year-old still lives alone and looks after himself including cooking and cleaning.
The former Royal Military Policeman said he keeps in shape by taking long walks and believes his nightly ritual of a small glass of whisky and a single piece of dark chocolate is to thank for his longevity.