Andi Peters celebrates 50th birthday on live TV and reveals the secret to youthful looks

Andi Peters has shocked TV viewers by revealing he is 50 years old – and claimed his secret to youthful ageing is olive oil.

The TV presenter began his career at the age of 19 back in 1989, presenting Children’s BBC slot The Broom Cupboard with hand puppet Edd the Duck.

Peters has been presenting on Good Morning Britain and Lorraine via video link throughout lockdown, but returned to the GMB studio for the first time today (29 July) where he was greeted with balloons and confetti.

Pretending to read from the telly prompter script he told hosts Ben Shephard and Charlotte Hawkins: “There, is, nowhere, I'd, rather, be today, than here in the studio with you too!"

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He was presented with a cake with his own picture on and his fellow presenters read out messages from viewers who could not believe how old is, praising his youthful looks.

One wrote: “Andi Peters is 50?! Does that mean he was in the Broom Cupboard when he [was] 12?!”

Another said: “Andi Peters is never 50! I thought he was in his late 30s,”

Peters later told Lorraine host Christine Lampard: “I’m 50! I feel great. I’m one of those people who love life. You’re only as old as you think you are.

“Some of the nonsense I do I think, ‘You’re not 21, you shouldn’t be running around on live television.’ But why not?!”

And he claimed the secret to his youthful appearance is olive oil.

Peters said: “Black skin dries very quickly. Even when I was younger I would rub olive oil on my skin. And you had to go to the pharmacy to buy olive oil in those days. Coconut oil is the new olive oil! Use it for everything.”

He revealed he was celebrating with a special breakfast with the ITV crew.

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Peters added: “Then I’m going to the gym because that’s another part of my regime. And then dinner with some friends.”

He admitted: “I’m still a little bit cautious – this is the first dinner I’ve had outside of lockdown, out of my own home. But it’s somewhere outside, alfresco dining, it’s going to be lovely.”

Reading out birthday messages to Peters, Lampard revealed: “Someone is calling for you to be a Sir!”

Peters thanked everyone for their comments.

After starting his career in children’s television on the BBC with the Broom Cupboard and Saturday morning show Going Live!, Peters went on to work as a producer as well as a presenter on a number of hit shows, including Top Of The Pops, The O-Zone and Channel 4 reality show Shipwrecked.

When he moved to Channel 4 in 1998 he is credited with creating T4, the successful weekend morning TV show aimed at young people.