TheCable

Jessie Gallan, the oldest woman alive in Scotland, has sensationally claimed that avoiding men is one of the two secrets to her longevity.

The 109-year-old, who was never married, also said she eats porridge daily to stay healthy.

Born in a tiny two-room farm cottage, Gallan slept top-to-tail with her five sisters and one brother on a straw-filled mattress before leaving home at 13 to become a milkmaid.

She then worked on a farm as a kitchen helper, before working at a hotel visited by the Queen and Queen Mother during her time there.

“My secret to a long life has been staying away from men,” Gallan told The Daily Mail days after celebrating her 109th birthday on January 2.

“They’re just more trouble than they’re worth.”

She added: “I also made sure that I got plenty of exercise, eat a nice warm bowl of porridge every morning and have never gotten married.

“I always worked hard and seldom would I ever take a holiday. I left home when I was 13 and began a job milking cows. I always had good jobs with very nice people. It’s amazing to see how completely different the world is now from the one I grew up in.”

Rebecca Streeter, a senior support worker at the Crosby House care home in Aberdeen, where Gallan lives, revealed that the centenarian still participates in group activities.

“She likes her exercise,” Streeter said.

“She goes to all the concerts and enjoys her church on a Sunday. And obviously she has led a very healthy lifestyle.”

Gallan became Scotland’s oldest woman in 2013, after the death in June of Clare Dawson, who was 109 at the time.