SIX decades after first rolling a cigarette a pensioner has quit.

At the age of 79, Frank Gell, of Trimdon, County Durham, has proved you are never too old to make a life-changing decision by giving up smoking.

Mr Gell, was determined to quit the habit that may have claimed the lives of his wife, Hilda, and eldest daughter, Mavis, who both died of cancer. He has not smoked for six months.

He worked with an advisor from Sedgefield Smoking Cessation Service, led by Sedgefield Primary Care Trust, and took Zyban tablets to stop his nicotine cravings.

"Once I decided to quit it wasn't that difficult," he said. "The advert I saw on television said 'you're never too old', so I picked up the phone and asked for help. I'd tell anyone thinking about quitting to just do it."

Mr Gell was an electrician working in the mining industry when he started to smoke and at the time it was thought fashionable. But over the years he has suffered with chest pains and breathlessness and has suffered two heart attacks.

"I definitely feel better for quitting," he said.

* For advice, call the NHS smoking helpline on 0800 169 0169 or visit www.giving upsmoking.co.uk