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Betty White turns 96 today, here’s the secret to her longevity – Metro US

Betty White turns 96 today, here’s the secret to her longevity

Betty White Longevity

Betty White. Without saying anything else, there’s already an aura of respect around her name (like Beyoncé or, of course, Oprah).

White, a six-time Emmy winner, made it into the 2014 edition of “Guinness World Records” for having the longest television career of any female entertainer. Best known for playing Rose Nylund in the series “The Golden Girls,” she still has TV appearances to date, her recurring guest role on Freeform’s “Young & Hungry” among them. 

Born in 1922, the hilarious, record-breaking actress — who, by the way, is older than sliced bread — turned 96 today!

Just four years shy of a century, here are her secrets to longevity.

Optimism

“Enjoy life,” White told Parade Magazine in an interview published earlier this month. “Accentuate the positive, not the negative. It sounds so trite, but a lot of people will pick out something to complain about, rather than say, ‘Hey, that was great!’ It’s not hard to find great stuff if you look.”

She told the publication about getting turned away from studios at the start of career for being “unphotogenic,” she said “you just keep plugging away. You don’t give up.”

“I know it sounds corny, but I try to see the funny side and the upside, not the downside,” White said. “I get bored with people who complain about this or that. It’s such a waste of time.” Amen to that.

Exercise…or don’t

During a TimesTalks interview in 2012, White said that in terms of her exercise, it doesn’t take much.

“I have a two-story house and a very bad memory,” she joked, “so I’m up and down those stairs.”

White told People the same year that she stays pretty active as it is. “There’s no spare time, so I’m active all the time. I think that forces you to stay well.”

Her busy schedule — the fact that she’s consistently staring in roles at her age — makes her feel like “the luckiest broad on two feet.” (Us too.)

Vodka and hotdogs

White also told Parade Magazine that she loves to eat vodka and hotdogs, “probably in that order.” 

“I don’t eat anything special,” she wrote in Harper’s Bazaar‘s 2014 “Fabulous at Every Age” issue. “French fries. Hot dogs if I can get ’em. And I’m not a big breakfast eater. I’ll have a sandwich at lunch and then come home, and Pontiac and I have a vodka on the rocks and then our dinner. You can’t get much better.”

Pontiac is White’s 12-year-old Golden Retriever who she calls “the star of the house.”

 

He may be 12, but he’s my baby!! Happy #NationalPuppyDay!

A post shared by Betty White (@bettymwhite) on

Vodka and hotdogs, huh? She must be doing something right. And the ultimate birthday present she always wishes for? Robert Redford.

“But it never works,” she told Parade Magazine. “I try every year.”

Watch: Betty White’s Top 10 Tips for Living a Long and Happy Life