'Never quit': British woman who smokes 40 cigarettes a day celebrates 100th birthday

A British woman who turned 100 has attributed her long life to smoking 40 cigarettes a day, drawing widespread attention.

Margaret Ham, born in 1926 and a resident of Basingstoke, Hampshire, celebrated her 100th birthday on Friday, according to the New York Post and other outlets.

Ham still smokes 20 to 40 cigarettes a day and lives on her own. Though her mobility is somewhat limited, she gets around her home with a walking stick and manages her daily routine independently.

Her granddaughter, Rachel Matthews, said Ham has smoked her entire life and has never quit despite health warnings — and has no intention of doing so.

Matthews added that her grandmother drinks strong black tea throughout the day and enjoys toast thickly spread with butter and marmalade, insisting on full-fat butter rather than any low-fat alternative. Alcohol, however, has been almost entirely absent from her life.

The family marveled at Ham's robust constitution, suggesting it reflects the resilience of a generation that lived through wartime.

In a striking contrast, Matthews' mother — Ham's daughter — once tried to improve her health through lifestyle changes, yet died at 52.

When that happened, Ham reportedly told the family, "Well, I'll just keep on living the way I always have," and stuck to her habits.

Born in Bristol in 1926, Ham lived through World War II in a house with a large air-raid shelter and is said to have witnessed a low-flying bomber crash nearby.

Around the age of 18, she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and served for about two years before meeting her husband, raising two daughters and settling in Basingstoke.

Today, Ham's greatest joy is spending time with her family, including her great-granddaughter. Matthews checks in on her every day, and the two share a meal together every Sunday.

To mark the milestone, Matthews organized a campaign to collect birthday cards from around the world. "There aren't many family members left, so I was worried she might have a lonely birthday," she said. "I wanted her to have the joy of being buried in cards from all over the world."