A 106-year-old woman who has never had a boyfriend says staying single is the key to her long life.

Madeline Dye, from Heeley, South Yorkshire, was born in 1912 – the same year the Titanic sank.

She has never been on a date and made her her first and only visit to a pub on her 90th birthday.

Ms Dye believes her longevity is down to avoiding the “stresses” that come with marriage and relationships.

The retired bookbinder lived independently at home until the age of 103 when a fall left her needing nursing care.

At home, she cooked steak and chops and kept herself busy around the house, even putting up her own curtains in her later years.

Despite moving to Norton Lees Hall care home, Ms Dye still walks without a stick and can often be found chatting with other residents.

MOST POPULAR TODAY ON YAHOO

She celebrated her 106th birthday on April 28 with a family trip to Baslow, Derbyshire, and a party at the care home.

Her niece Diana Heaton, 80, said: “She walks freely without a stick and is very independent.

“When she was 103 she asked if I could change some curtains for her in a bedroom.

“I said I would do it the next day and when I arrived she said, ‘Do you like the curtains – look what I’ve done?’

“She changed them and carried some steps from the cellar up the stairs to her front bedroom.

View photos Ms Dye was born in 1912 (Picture: SWNS) More

“She does still dress herself and goes into the common room and chats with people. She has a great sense of humour still, she has never lost it.

“Whenever anyone asks her about her past romances or if she has a husband, she says ‘I’ve never had one, that’s why I’m this age’.

“She says she has not had the stresses of marriage, it’s tongue-in-cheek more than anything. She has always loved her clothes and has always dressed immaculately.”

Ms Dye’s long life may also be down to walking two miles up a steep hill four times a day while going to and from work.

She was reunited last year with a friend 70 years after they went through the Blitz together.

Kit Sollitt, 97, managed to get back in touch with her former neighbour after she read a news article detailing Ms Dye’s 105th birthday.

Ms Dye’s father Ernest died in the First World War and she lived for most of her life with her mother Mary and sister Auralie.