London: Ethel Caterham, a 114-year-old British woman from Surrey, has become the world’s oldest living person following the death of 116-year-old Brazilian nun Sister Inah Canabaro, according to the Gerontology Research Group (GRG).

Caterham, who was born on August 21, 1909, in Shipton Bellinger, England, credits her longevity to one simple principle: “Never argue with anyone. I listen and do what I love,” she said from her nursing home in Camberley, south-west of London.

She was the second youngest of eight siblings and began traveling at the age of 18, when she moved to India in 1927 to work as a nanny for a British family. After returning to the UK, she met her future husband, Norman, a British Army major, at a dinner party in 1931. The couple lived in Hong Kong and Gibraltar and adopted two daughters before Norman’s death in 1976.

To celebrate the milestone, Camberley’s Hallmark Lakeview care home shared photos of Caterham wearing a ‘115’ tiara and cutting a cake. “Your strength, spirit and intelligence are a source of inspiration for all of us,” the care home wrote in a Facebook post.

The Guinness World Records notes that the oldest verified person ever was Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who lived to be 122 years and 164 days old.