Julio Isidro says at 79 he can't retire from TV so he can continue providing a good quality of life for his daughters – Nacional

Júlio Isidro is one of the most charismatic faces on Portuguese television, with a long career at RTP. But the 79-year-old presenter has no plans to retire. Or better yet, stop watching TV.

This was revealed by Isidro to Correio da Manhã, who said that although he is officially retired, he needs to continue working on public television in order to continue giving his family a better life. “Theoretically I am retired, but I am not committed. I believe that everyone has the right to work, and I have always thought that my life has a direct relationship between work and the quality of our life. So, for me and my daughters, I wish to have a better life, I must continue working, especially for my daughters, if I did not have daughters, I could be more moderate in my work pace. And then, I do a lot of “volunteer” things: conferences, book presentations or shows, because I believe that it is the duty of public figures to be with others when they need them.”

He doesn't lack the energy to keep going: “I feel tired every day, and I only stop being tired when I start working,” he says jokingly.

“I am not here to break records, but I know that I already have the record for staying on the air in Portugal. I have been working in television for 64 years. And every day, for 64 years, I have tried to learn something. I do not have this attitude about the age of the position, that I know everything and I do not want to know the news. On the contrary, I am the type of person who does not exploit the old professionals, the knowledge and experience of those who have gray hair that are forgotten or abandoned… some have even been abandoned,” he says in an interview with Boa Onda on the Correio da Manha website.

By Shirley Farmer

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