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Britain's oldest person Gladys Hooper has hip replacement at the age of 112

Mrs Hooper’s son, Derek Hermiston, 84, said the operation had given his mother a 'new lease of life'

Katie Grant
Friday 16 October 2015 13:49 BST
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Gladys Hooper underwent the surgery after she had a fall and fractured her hip
Gladys Hooper underwent the surgery after she had a fall and fractured her hip

Having a well-earned rest?

Britain’s oldest person is understood to have set a new world record by having a hip replacement operation at the age of 112. Gladys Hooper of Ryde on the Isle of Wight underwent the surgery after she had a fall and fractured her hip.

Who is she claiming the record from?

The Guinness World Records currently lists John Randall as the oldest person to have a total hip replacement at the age of 102 years, three months and 30 days at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, in November 2011. A spokesman for Guinness World Records said: “We would welcome a record application from a member of her family who could provide more information on her surgery so we can investigate the claim further.”

Has Mrs Hooper led an active life?

She’s not been resting on her laurels. Born in Dulwich, south-east London, and brought up in Brighton, East Sussex, Mrs Hooper was a concert pianist, started one of the first hire car companies and later ran Kingscliff House School, which went on to become Brighton College.

How did the operation go?

Mrs Hooper’s son, Derek Hermiston, 84, said the operation had gone “splendidly” and had given his mother a “new lease of life”.

Are the doctors pleased with the result?

Jason Millington, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, who performed the operation at St Mary’s Hospital in Newport, said: “Mrs Hooper’s recovery has been slow but steady. Her recovery is as well as I could have hoped for but by no means is she ‘out of the woods’, so to speak, and we really have to wait and see how she continues to recover. The first month will be the most crucial.”

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