18 Nov, 2023 @ 16:00
1 min read

‘Work hard but don’t get upset’: Meet the Spanish family that has a combined age of well over a thousand

Twelves siblings still going strong

NOT many ‘babies of the family’ can get to the fine old age of 76 and have 11 older siblings all still alive.

But that’s the case for the Hernandez-Perez family, whose 12 brothers and sisters regularly dine together at weekends.

Now the Guinness Book of Records has honoured the family – including 76-year-old ‘baby’ Luis – as being world champions.

The combined ages of the Gran Canaria natives reach an astounding 1,074 years – an entire millennia encapsulated in one set of siblings.

It comes a year since they set a new world record for the highest combined age of 12 living siblings, dethroning the previous holders in Pakistan.

They recently got together for a celebratory meal, where they shared some of their secrets.

Big brother Jose, affectionately known as ‘Pepe’, is the oldest at 98 years old.

He attributes his longevity to a simple motto: “Live peacefully, don’t get upset and work hard.”

The long-living dozen, from the village of Villa de Moya, have spent their lives in each other’s company, working in the local fields.

This, they say, is part of their secret to maintaining their health. 

Scientists might also want to take a look at what’s in their genome, too.

Mama Martina passed away in 1991 at the age of 91, while papa Modesto died in November 2002, at 105 years old.

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Walter Finch

Walter Finch, who comes from a background in video and photography, is keen on reporting on and investigating organised crime, corruption and abuse of power. He is fascinated by the nexus between politics, business and law-breaking, as well as other wider trends that affect society.
Born in London but having lived in six countries, he is well-travelled and worldly. He studied Philosophy at the University of Birmingham and earned his diploma in journalism from London's renowned News Associates during the Covid era.
He got his first break in the business working on the Foreign News desk of the Daily Mail's online arm, where he also helped out on the video desk.
He then decided to escape the confines of London and returned to Spain in 2022, having previously lived in Barcelona for many years.
He took up up a reporter role with the Olive Press Newspaper and today he is based in La Linea de la Concepcion at the heart of a global chokepoint and crucial maritime hub, where he edits the Olive Press Gibraltar edition.
He is also the deputy news editor across all editions of the newspaper.

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