Owen Filer, thought to be the oldest man in Wales, has revealed his secret to a long life as he approaches his 107th birthday on Monday.
The Second World War veteran attributes his remarkable longevity to a straightforward lifestyle built around hard graft and modest eating habits - with fish and chips as his staple meal.
"How I got here I'll never know, but I've met a lot of people who have admired me and asked me how do I do it," Mr Filer said.
"No secret recipe, except that I always worked all my life."
He insisted there was no mystery behind reaching such an extraordinary age.
"There is no secret, you just live properly, and I've always done it. I've never overeaten, I lived on fish and chips," he said.
"Fish and chips, a full meal, a scoop full of chips and a fish, and it was cod and hake, it was genuine."
Mr Filer lamented how times have changed since his younger days, adding: "You can't afford to buy it now, can you? It's such a change, isn't it, it's crazy."
The centenarian was born in 1919 and went on to serve with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers before transferring to the Military Police during the war.
On Friday, he marked the occasion surrounded by loved ones and fellow servicemen at the Market Hall Cinema in Brynmawr, two days ahead of the actual date.
SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, honoured him with a commemorative statuette in recognition of his distinguished military service and as an early birthday tribute.
Looking back on more than a century of life, Mr Filer expressed surprise at having come so far.
"I thought it would be a better world I would be living in, but I didn't think I'd ever make it," he reflected.
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His daughter Anne Messore, 80, accompanied him to the celebration at the Tredegar Veterans Support Hub.
She is one of Mr Filer's four children. And the family has grown to include 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
The festivities continued later that day when Mr Filer received a red carpet reception at Market Hall Cinema in Brynmawr, a surprise arranged in his honour.
He selected a showing of the film One Good Turn for the occasion.
Darren Foote, a fellow veteran who was instrumental in putting together the birthday festivities, spoke warmly of the centenarian.
"He doesn't understand why they make a fuss of him, he doesn't get it at all," Mr Foote said.
"He's just a really nice, down to earth guy."
Mr Foote highlighted the daily discipline Mr Filer still maintains at 106.
"He still gets up in the morning, he puts a clean shirt on, puts his tie on, cleans his shoes, and he gets up with purpose," he said.
"I think we can all take a leaf out of his book on that one, for sure."
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