101-year-old woman who still works 6 times a week explains what she fears would happen if she retired

A 101-year-old New Jersey woman who still goes to work six times a week has shared a blunt and honest reason as to why she's avoided retiring.

After reaching the milestone of 100 years on Earth, you'd think most people might want to put their feet up and take a well-earned rest - if they're lucky enough to have made it that far in the first place, that is.

But not Ann Angeletti.

Ann was born in the early 1920s, and as a child she left school to help her family run their grocery store in Brooklyn. Remember, there was no TikTok or Twitch streamers to get distracted by back then.

This was at a time before fridges were invented, and Ann's dad boosted the family's income by selling ice door-to-door in a horse-drawn cart.

So needless to say, the 101-year-old has experienced a lot of life in the last few decades, but she's not done yet.

Ann says she enjoys working every day (Eyewitness News ABC7NY)

Ann now works as a jeweler in New Jersey's Diamond District, where she runs her own business, Curiosity Jewelry in Cresskill, with her daughter and granddaughter. She works six times a week, and spoke candidly to ABC7 about why she's not retired.

"If I retire, I would die, so I cannot stay home," Ann said.

Safe to say, it's probably not worth the risk.

Ann has never taken much of a break, having worked at the Navy Yard when her husband went to fight in World War II, and later taking up work as a waitress.

She started her own business after seeing the jewelry store up for rent and calling up the owner.

Ann has worked throughout her whole life (Eyewitness News ABC7NY)

"[I] asked him, how much is the rent, and he said $85 a month in 1964," she recalled. So about the same amount as I spend on coffees every month nowadays.

Ann's strong work ethic isn't just about making money though, as she makes sure she cares for her customers even if they don't end up buying anything from her.

"I don't care if my customers don't buy. They come in, we have coffee," she said, while one customer described her as an 'inspiration'.

The 101-year-old has claimed the secret to her success is self-care, saying: "[You] must get up, you must shower, you must eat, you must take care of yourself. You must exercise. If you don't like what you're doing, then change."

"Make the most of that day," she added. "I'm happy working every day."