Supercentenarian Profile

Grace Gatt

Born:

1916-01-30

Valletta, Port Region

Malta

Current Residence:

Sliema, Eastern Region

Malta

Grace Gatt (née Howard) is a Maltese supercentenarian who is currently the oldest known living person in Malta.

BIOGRAPHY

Grace Gatt was born in Valletta, Port Region, Malta, on 30 January 1916. She spent her early years in a spacious home opposite the Manoel Theatre in Valletta, where she lived with her parents and her paternal grandparents. Her grandfather, Joseph Howard (1862–1925), became Malta’s first Prime Minister when she was five, and he passed away when she was nine.

In 1940, as World War II reached Malta, Grace married Alfred Gatt, whom she had met through friends at a carnival event. Owing to the dangers of wartime Valletta, the couple evacuated to Mosta and later settled in Sliema, where they raised their two sons, Edgar and John. Edgar was born in an air-raid shelter in 1942. She was widowed at 61.

Growing up near the national theatre, Grace developed a deep passion for opera, attending performances from the age of six. Her favourite works included Madama Butterfly and Tosca. She also formed a close friendship with Princess Nathalie Poutiatine, a Russian aristocrat who had settled in Malta following the Bolshevik Revolution. Another of her interests was Russian history and culture. According to her son, although she travelled extensively throughout Europe, she never ventured as far as Russia, as she was afraid of flying and therefore travelled mainly by train and car.

Her son later attributed her longevity to her habit of avoiding heavy evening meals, balanced with the occasional tot—or two—of whisky. She lived independently in her own home until the age of 95.

RECOGNITION

On 23 December 2024, following the passing of 112-year-old Maria Farrugia, she became the oldest living person in Malta.

In January 2026, she celebrated her 110th birthday, becoming the second documented supercentenarian in Malta, after Maria Farrugia, and the third Maltese supercentenarian overall, following Farrugia and Theresa Ryan.

Her age has not been validated.