Emma Morano, who is believed to be the world’s oldest person, celebrated her 117th birthday in Italy on Tuesday. making her the only living person born in the 1800s. Born on November 29, 1899, in Piedmont, Morano credits her long life to good genes, eating three eggs a day – two of them raw – and being single since she was 39, reported BBC.

The diet is a regime she started following just after the first World War, as a way to counter anaemia. Her doctor for the past 27 years, Carlo Bava, told AFP that Morano’s unusual diet appears to have served her well. Bava said, “Emma has always eaten very few vegetables, very little fruit. When I met her, she ate three eggs per day, two raw in the morning and then an omelette at noon, and chicken at dinner.” The doctor said that she seemed “eternal” despite her low intake of fruits and vegetables.

Morano said her marriage was marred with domestic violence and she was left with little choice but to separate from her abusive husband after the death of her baby. She had said, “He told me: ‘If you’re lucky you will marry me, or I’ll kill you’. I was 26 years old. I got married, “ La Stampa reported.

The couple remained married as divorce became legal only much later. Morano said, “I didn’t want to be dominated by anyone.” She worked till the age of 75.

Her life has inspired a musical production in her current hometown of Verbania. The playwrights said her story “represents the feminine courage that rebelled against domestic violence,” BBC reported.