Like a true East Ender, this centenarian does not mind saying how it is, and she did during a frank conversation over a glass of rosé.

For Nancy O’Donoghue, who has lived in Albany Court retirement home, in Chingford, for the past 15 years, turning 100 on Friday (September 23) just felt like another day.

With most of her family surrounding her, Mrs O’Donoghue candidly revealed her brush with destiny during the Second World War at a party in her honour.

More than 70 years ago in 1943, Mrs O’Donoghue was 27-years-old, married, and living in Hackney with her six-month-old baby, Carol.

It was The Blitz in London, which killed nearly 30,000 people and seriously injured 50,000 from German aerial bombs.

Mrs O’Donoghue remembered her husband’s habit of coming home from work every day for his lunch.

She said: “We used to buy our shopping every day back then and my husband liked some gravy over his dinner.

“But I didn’t have any Oxo and we were living at the top of some flats in Shoreditch about five floors up.

“My mum was with my baby but she would never come down when the air raids came on, she was a brave sort."

Mrs O’Donoghue was in the shop round the corner buying gravy when the air raid siren did come on that fateful day.

She added: “The shopkeeper was taking a women’s money in front of me and said he’d 'be a minute’ when I asked him if I could quickly pay and go.

“I told him ‘I can’t wait, my mum won’t come down and she’s got my baby up there’.

“So I ran out and when I just got in my flat the shop got struck down.”

Fortunately for Mrs O’Donoghue’s two daughters, four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, the centenarian escaped certain death.

The woman in front of her, the shopkeeper and two American soldiers stood outside the store, were all killed in the blast.

She added: “It shows you how lucky you are, if my mum had come down with my baby I wouldn’t have come out of the shop.”

Back in the present, Mrs O’Donoghue could not reveal the secret to her long life, but insisted it was her “lovely family” who kept her going all these years.

She added: “I’d like to live all the way to 110 because I’ve got a lovely family and I just want to be with them.”

While Nancy has kept healthy, she said: “I like a glass of rosé every now and then and I do love a baileys.

“I don’t feel any different at 100, which is pretty good ain’t it.”

With a twinkle firmly in her eye, the East Ender reminded her nearest and dearest to let her be when 7pm comes around.

“Emmerdale is my favourite, you daren’t phone me when it’s coming on.

“Don’t you worry, when they come ringing I tell them to get off and get stuffed.”