Merah Smith was born in Saint Mary, Jamaica, on 9 November 1912.

In the 1930s, she met her husband James and soon married him, but he passed away from stomach cancer in the 1950s. The couple had three children: Irene (aged 87 in 2022), Tony (aged 76 in 2022), and Icha (aged 64 in 2022). She worked as a nurse.

In 1963, she emigrated to the UK.

At the age of 103, she traveled to Jamaica for a two-week holiday.

Smith credits a long life to eating chicken, fruit, and vegetables, and practicing her faith. She took part in kickboxing until she was 103 and stopped on doctor’s orders because she developed a knee problem. At the age of 110, she had six grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.

Merah Smith currently lives in Croydon, Greater London, England, UK.