117-year-old birthday girl puts her long life down to staying single and getting enough sleep

Emma Morano just celebrated her 117th birthday!

The Italian supercentarian was born on the 29th November, 1899, is believed to be the only person alive to have lived in three centuries.

As a young woman Ms Morano was married but says she left her violent husband in 1938 not long after her infant son tragically passed. Since then she devoted her life to living independently.

‘I didn’t want to be dominated by anyone,’ she said in an interview with AFP.

Despite no longer having teeth, difficulty speaking and seeing, and profound deafness, Ms Morano is exceptionally proud of being the eldest person alive – and displays her Guinness World Record certificate on a chest of drawers in her home.