Go to content

Dick Van Dyke reveals the two things he believes helped him live to 100

Dick Van Dyke reveals the two things he believes helped him live to 100
CP Images / CP Images

Dick Van Dyke has revealed the two habits he ditched, which he believes has helped him live a long life.

The Mary Poppins actor has told how he gave up smoking and drinking when he was in his fifties.

"I smoked a lot, actually!" he said in an interview with People magazine.

"I think I was probably in my 50s before it dawned on me that I had an addictive personality. If I liked something, I was going to overdo it.

So I got rid of booze and cigarettes and all that stuff, which is probably why I'm still here."

The star has previously spoken about checking himself into hospital in 1972 to deal with his alcoholism. However, he recently admitted that giving up smoking was much harder than quitting the booze.

"It was much worse than the alcohol," he said. "I'm still chewing the nicotine gum."

Dick, 99, who married to wife Arlene Silver, 54, in 2012, recently reflected on ageing in an essay for the Sunday Times.

"It's frustrating to feel diminished in the world, physically and socially," he wrote. "Like my old characters, I am now a stooper, a shuffler and a teeterer," he revealed. "I have feet problems and I go supine as often as is politely possible."

"My sight is so bad now that origami is out of the question. I have trouble following group conversations and complain frequently about my hearing aids, though I would never refer to them as ear trumpets. I'm not that old."

Despite his physical ailments, the star noted that on the inside, he still felt young.

"I've made it to 99 in no small part because I have stubbornly refused to give in to the bad stuff in life: failures and defeats, personal losses, loneliness and bitterness, the physical and emotional pains of ageing," he said. "That stuff is real but I have not let it define me. Instead, for the vast majority of my years, I have been in what I can only describe as a full-on bear hug with the experience of living. Being alive has been doing life - not like a job but rather like a giant playground."

You might also like

Subscribe to The Perfect Mix of content!

To find out about our biggest contests and never miss out on hot topics again.

By subscribing, I agree to receive communications by email from Cogeco Média and its affiliates, including news, updates, activities and contests. You can unsubscribe at any time by using the link at the bottom of our emails or contacting us via our Privacy Policy. Please note, however, that we may still continue to send you service-related and other non-commercial communications. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.