100-year-old goes viral for his care home dancing

A 100-year-old man from Worcestershire has gone viral for his dance videos, with more than 1.5m views on social media.

Bernard Gilbert, who lives at Fernhill House Care Home in Worcester, began dancing in the 1940s, aged 16, after he broke his leg playing rugby.

Despite being reluctant to swap the pitch for the ballroom, he went on to win awards and even became a dance teacher at the age of 74.

"I love the dancing, once I get on the floor I forget everything, I just concentrate on what I'm doing," he said. "It brings me alive."

Speaking to the BBC about how his dance career started, Gilbert said: "I broke my leg and the bone healed up but the muscles didn't.

"I went to the doctors and they gave me all sorts of exercises but it didn't make a difference.

"Then they said, 'go dancing' and I said, 'what, me? Go dancing?' but my friend dragged me there.

"I didn't go in, I stood at the doorway and halfway through the lesson the teacher got so fed up she came and dragged me in.

"She said, 'clear off or come in'. So I went in and I loved it."

Gilbert began teaching when his wife, and dance partner, passed away 26 years ago.

Asked if she was a natural dancer like him, Gilbert said: "Not really, no. The ballroom dancing, she did, because she used to hang onto me all the time."

He added: "I think it's very good dancing because not only is it physically good for you, it's also mentally good too.

"You have to remember things, you can't just pick it up because you have to concentrate on what you're doing."

Tania Skerrit, from Berkley Care Group, the home's operator said: "When he gets up and we put that music on that really changes him, he's a completely different person.

"You can see it relaxes him and he has a big smile on his face. That's what we love."

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