Needless to say, I have so much to learn from Gill’s attitude and outlook on life on a daily basis. I’ve come to wish that more young women were fortunate enough to have friendships with women in the generations above us to counteract the persistent pressure to clutch onto our youth.

And the proof of that pressure is everywhere. According to social media, Gen Z seem to think they’re “ageing like milk” and pre-teens are using anti-ageing serums in their droves. In fact, a recent study by the Royal Society for Public Health reported that “negative attitudes about age can begin to form among children as young as six years old”. Two of the key ways these attitudes are reinforced? “Pressure from the beauty industry to use ‘anti-ageing’ products and lack of regular contact between older and younger generations,” the report concluded.

I’ve definitely not been immune to all of this. I’ve long had anxiety around ageing and a tight self-imposed time frame for when I thought I should achieve all of my personal and professional goals. I hate my birthday and often lie about my age. While I’m embarrassed by these deeply ingrained views, we can’t shy away from how common they are.

“How an age-gap friendship sparked the life upgrade I needed”