'Young at heart’ 81-year-old from Chesterfield gets her nose pierced to mark her birthday

Rosemary Cooper, who lives in Potters Place retirement village, had the piercing done at Pierce of Art studio in Chesterfield as a belated celebration for her birthday which was in April.

In fact Rosemary has ended up having her nose pierced twice over the last two weeks after she felt the first stud ‘wasn’t big enough’.

She said: “When I went the first time, with my son Jay, who came down all the way from Canada, they put in a little tiny one. So I went in last week again, with Paul, my other son, and then I got the bigger one instead. I like this one much more.”

While Jay lives in Canada and Karen, Rosemary’s daughter, lives in New Zeland, Paul who is in Chesterfield constantly visits his mother and takes her for weekly food shopping trips.

Rosemary, who has four children, 11 grandchildren and one great grand child, was born in Chesterfield during the war but has lived in Canada for the majority of her life. She moved back in 2006 when her husband Keath started suffering with his dementia.

After his death, Rosemary wanted to stay in the town she was brought up in and eventually moved to Potters Place to feel less isolated.

Ater the piercing studio put up a post featuring Mrs Cooper it got over a thousand likes and almost 60 shares in two days with lots of people praising her in the comments. But Rosemary said the reaction at her retirement home was not quite as postive.

She added: “Nobody apart from the hairdresser noticed until I pointed it out to them. I went to a table where my friends were sitting and I showed it to them but they were not very impressed. But it doesn’t matter. I didn't do it for anybody else, I did it for me.”

However it was not the first time Mrs Cooper had her nose pierced. She began her journey with piercings 25 years ago after being encouraged by her youngest son Jay.

She said: “I had my first one done when my son was at college. He got a ring in his nose and I said I really liked it. He said why don't you get one? So that's what I did.”

It was very special for her to visit the piercing studio with Jay again after a quarter of a century and get the new stud.

Rosemary, who loves cooking and makes herself roasts every week – with her favourite Yorkshire puddings - said: “I am very happy and with this one and everyone at the studio was very nice. I am not thinking about any new piercings soon. I’m thinking about a little tattoo next but haven’t decided if I definitely want it just yet.”