Jan Etherington: I’m 77 and consider myself middle-aged… I don’t think I’ve ever been more active

I relate to the survey which claims that the older we get, our perception of when ‘old age’ begins gets higher – I’ve never been so busy

Jan Etherington
© Telegraph.co.uk

When I was 30, I wrote a piece for She magazine which began: “Well, it’s all down to personality, now the looks have gone…” Little did I know that 47 years later, I would truly believe that I still have a lot more living to do − and that I’ve also got the energy to enjoy it − so I completely relate to the recent survey which claims that the older we get, our perception of when ‘old age’ begins gets higher.

Interestingly, women, on average, believe old age starts two years later than men think it does. At 65, modern women believe old age kicks in at about 76, compared to men’s belief that it’s 74. “Age is just a number” is a truism and, while I hate birthday cards with numbers on them, I celebrate the fact that I share my birth year with Charlotte Rampling, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Cher and Dame Joanna Lumley − and we’re all still working!