Michael Caine, 90, says the secret to a long life is ‘younger wives’
He met his wife Shakia when she was 26 and he was 40
It's fair to say that Sir Michael Caine has lived a pretty fulfilling life, and at the ripe old age of 90, he's showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.
In fact, the iconic actor says he wants to keep going as long as possible so he can see exactly what his daughter Natasha and three grandchildren get up to, as he credits them for keeping him youthful.
"You want to live for ever to see what they do with their lives," he told the Mail on Sunday's You magazine, before going on to reveal his secret recipe for a long and fruitful life.
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"Younger wives, no snacking and wearing trainers all the time," he explained, adding: "and you have to be careful not to fall down."
And it certainly seems Sir Michael has lived by this particular recipe, having married wife Shakira Baksh in 1973 after tracking her down after spotting her modelling in an advert.
The pair have a 14-year age gap and met when he was 40 and she was 26. Together they went on to have their daughter and they've been happily married ever since.
While his advice could provide useful for anyone, it's fair to say Sir Michael has lived anything but an ordinary life.
At the age of 90, he has appeared in more than 160 films, but says things have changed drastically in the film industry since the launch of his acting career some 70 years ago.
The star blames 'dull' political correctness for the industry's downfall, as well as awkward intimacy coordinators, who are there to support in the filming of sex scenes, particularly since the #MeToo movement.
"Thank God I'm 90 and don't play lovers any more is all I can say. In my day you just did the love scene and got on with it without anyone interfering. It's all changed," he said.
In his most recent film, The Great Escaper, Sir Michael plays a World War 2 veteran who sneaks out of his care home in a bid to attend the 70th anniversary commemoration of the D-Day landings in Normandy.
Sadly, the actor's co-star Glenda Jackson passed away in June at the age of 89, just 10 days after the cast were given a private preview of the film - something which caught them all off guard.
"I was totally stunned when she died ten days after we had a private preview of the film. She was a total trooper. She didn't seem ill or anything," he said.
Topics: Celebrity, Film and TV
Emma Rosemurgey