Watch A 100-Year-Old Dancer Go Viral For His Care Home Moves

Bernard Gilbert isn’t holding back as a 21-second video of him dancing in his care home goes viral with more than 1.5 million views on social media. At the age of 100, this Worcestershire, UK, man entertains viewers from across social media with his smooth moves.

Bernard lives at Fernhill House Care Home in Worcester and began dancing back in the 1940s when he was sweet 16. This happened after he broke his leg playing rugby and despite the fact that he was reluctant to swap the rugby field for the ballroom, he eventually won several awards and also became a dance teacher when he was 74.

On hearing the news, some were less than happy and blasted Gilbert on X (formerly Twitter) over his shoes.

“I laughed and said I’d never take up dancing,” he recalled of those days, but he was wrong for all the right reasons. His plans changed after a friend persuaded him to attend a dance school, where he fell in love with it and never looked back.

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

Gilbert spoke to the BBC about how his dancing career began, saying, "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.”

Bernard explained that dancing brings him “alive,” adding that he started teaching after his wife and dance partner passed away 26 years ago.

The BBC asked if his wife was also a natural dancer like him, the 100 year old said, “Not really, no. The ballroom dancing, she did, because she used to hang onto me all the time.”

“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.”

While his love of dancing happened in 1942, he’s been going ever since, fox trotting and jiving his way through nine decades, a world war, and whatever the last few years have been. He continues to entertain his friends at the care home where he lives.

Bernard is also making a reasonable case that dancing can keep you young, saying it is a longevity hack, adding, “Dancing is not only 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,” Bernard added.

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,” she added.

Another spokesperson for Berkley Care Group explained: “His story is a joyful reminder of the power of staying active later in life and with more than a million views and counting, Bernard is spreading joy across generations and showing that it’s never too late to keep moving, keep growing and keep shining.”