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Life

08th Nov 2022

Woman who turned 101 says tequila is the secret to long life

Steve Hopkins

Party on, Mary

A woman celebrating turning 101 has revealed the secret to a “happy” life and it is something a lot of Uni students are going to find very encouraging.

The answer, according to Mary Flip, is tequila.

The pensioner, of Chandler, Arizona, who lived through the Great Depression, multiple wars and birthed six kids, believes the Mexican liquor is the best way to unlock a long life, NBC15 reported.

Flip has also managed to maintain a quick wit after all these years. Asked by her daughter,  “How do you feel?”, she replied: “With my hand.”

Flip moved to Mexico at 18, where she cultivated her affinity with her favourite liquor and lived as a rancher.

But life hasn’t been easy. She lost her mum and sister a young age and spent much of her life alone.  She met her husband soon after moving to Mexico.

Flip moved back to Chicago when she was pregnant with her first child, where she changed careers and became an artist. Her talent is recognised by the Chicago School of Art.

She told NBC 15: “I really like to draw. And I was able to figure out that things change even as you’re drawing them. So, I was able to develop and make them look real. It took time but I had nothing else to do except raise a bunch of kids.”

While speaking to reporters, Flip celebrated her birthday in style by treating herself to her favourite beer: Guinness.

As her family and friends danced around, Flip joked: “Oh, I’ll get up on the table.”

When the world’s oldest woman, Lucile Randon, known as Sister Andre, turned 118 in April, she told news outlets that a wine a day keeps the doctor away.

Randon, who resides in Toulon, France, says her carer provides her with a glass of vino for every breakfast and morning mass.

The staff member at Sister Andre’s care home said: “Her glass of wine maintains her and is perhaps her longevity secret. I don’t know – I don’t encourage people to drink a glass of wine everyday!”