A husband and wife who met in 1934 have been awarded a Guinness World Record for being the oldest living couple.
Every wedding anniversary is an impressive milestone, but successfully making it through 80 years of marriage is a very rare event; one few couples will be able to celebrate.
John and Charlotte Henderson are just one month away from that incredible accomplishment after marrying during the Great Depression in December 1939, five years after they first met.
The loving pair got together when they were both students at the University of Texas. John was a star football player, while Charlotte was doing teacher training.
For their honeymoon, they stayed in a hotel which cost just $7 (£5.50), CNN reports.
The couple will celebrate their 80th wedding anniversary on December 15 but they have another milestone to enjoy before that in the form of their newly-awarded Guinness World Record.
With a combined age of 211, John is 106 years young while wife Charlotte is 105, making them the world’s oldest living couple; a title they will hold for the rest of their lives.
There’s no doubt their love has stood the test of time and luckily the pair have decided to share the secret to their happy marrige. According to them, they’ve managed to last 80 years because they live life in moderation and are always cordial to one another.
It’s a beautifully simple answer; one everyone should be able to take on board.
Both John and Charlotte are still very healthy, and 10 years ago they moved into the Longhorn Village, a senior living community associated with a University of Texas alumni group.
The pair were pictured grinning together in their living community while showing off their Guinness World Record certificate.
John’s new Guinness World Record isn’t his only accomplishment as he also holds the title of the oldest living former University of Texas football player. For the last 84 years, the 106-year-old has upheld a tradition of attending at least one Longhorn football game each season.
When John turned 100, he enjoyed a celebration with proclamations, a video tribute, live music by a brass quintet, poems, cheers, gifts, champagne toasts and cake alongside his wife and more than 200 people who gathered to celebrate the big birthday, the Alcalde reports.
In an interview with Kaiser Health News, the former football star attributed his old age to ‘living in moderation’. Even when his age reached triple figures, John was still walking three miles a day and lifting weights in the community’s fitness centre.
The incredible pair are certainly an inspiration to couples everywhere!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.