'Death does not exist!' Brian Blessed, 86, insists he feels as young as he did when he was FIVE as he encourages people NOT to embrace old age

Brian Blessed has described himself as a 'Peter Pan', saying he'll never grown up and is encouraging other people do do the same.

The actor, 86, is adamant he feels just the same today as he did when he was a young child and is determined no one should retire, insisting: 'Death does not exist!'  

He told the Mirror: 'I'm a child, I'll never grow up, I'm Peter Pan. I feel exactly now as I felt when I was five years of age.

Young at heart: Brian Blessed, 86, has described himself as a 'Peter Pan', saying he'll never grown up and is encouraging other people do do the same (pictured in August last year)

Young at heart: Brian Blessed, 86, has described himself as a 'Peter Pan', saying he'll never grown up and is encouraging other people do do the same (pictured in August last year)

'I'm sick to bloody death of people who make a pact with old age. Oh no, I'm not interested in that, what are you talking about? No, no, no, no.

'It's not about how old you are, it's about how you are old. Don't anybody ever retire! Do not embrace old age! It's crap! I haven't got time for that rubbish.'

He went on to state people know everything they know from thousands of years but can't find anyone who can tell him what death is like.

Felling good: The actor is adamant he feels just the same today as he did when he was a young child and is determined no one should retire (Brian as Mark of Cornwall in 1972 television show Arthur of the Britons)

Felling good: The actor is adamant he feels just the same today as he did when he was a young child and is determined no one should retire (Brian as Mark of Cornwall in 1972 television show Arthur of the Britons)

After he turned 80 in 2016, Brian was fitted with a pacemaker to correct an irregular heartbeat which he said made him feel like a 20-year-old and a 'million dollar man'.

He even went as far as to tell doctors he'd like them to go on and replace another more private body part to match the age he felt.  

He told CALIBRE Quarterly magazine at the time: 'Now I can do anything. I just wish they'd given me another c***. That's what I said to the doctors.

Youthful in mind: He told the Mirror : 'I'm a child, I'll never grow up, I'm Peter Pan. I feel exactly now as I felt when I was five years of age' (pictured in August last year)

Youthful in mind: He told the Mirror : 'I'm a child, I'll never grow up, I'm Peter Pan. I feel exactly now as I felt when I was five years of age' (pictured in August last year)

'They said, "How are you feeling Brian?" I said, "Great! Now I'd just like a 20-year-old c***!"'

And Brian, whose career has spanned more then 60 years, insists he's maintained good health thanks to a good exercise regime.

He recently told the Daily Mail: 'I do a tremendous fitness programme, partly out of vanity but also because I want to go into space. I’m a black belt in judo, I run two miles a day and do two hours in my gym at home.

'I can bench press up to 320 lb, which is a kind of world record. I do a tremendous amount of weights and a lot on the bike. I’ve been up Mount Everest and I’m the oldest man to have walked to the magnetic North Pole.

'I hate all this age rubbish. It’s not how old you are, it’s how you are old — and I’m physically about 30 years of age.'

Working at it: Brian, whose career has spanned more then 60 years, insists he's maintained good health thanks to a good exercise regime (Brian as Flash Gordon in 1980)

Working at it: Brian, whose career has spanned more then 60 years, insists he's maintained good health thanks to a good exercise regime (Brian as Flash Gordon in 1980)