Meet the Malaga gran who is an Instagram sensation

Getting to know Angelita is a joyous experience. At 88 years of age, this Malaga-born woman is an example of how to beat loneliness. She doesn't do it just any old way, she does it full of energy and a good sense of humour. It is practically impossible not to smile or even laugh when watching the videos on her Instagram account (@oma.angelita) in which she shows how she cooks, decorates bottles, paints designs on roof tiles, reveals her gym confessions or how she gets into folk mode with her original outfits and fun dances. Angelita Gómez is a phenomenon that has been causing a stir on social media in recent weeks after agreeing to take part in the gala event as part of Soles de Málaga´s solidarity festival, declaring herself an ambassador for this event to be held on 27 April at La Malagueta bullring.

She threw open the doors to her home in Miraflores de los Ángeles to welcome SUR and tell us how and why she came to post videos on social media plus to talk about her life. She was born in Coín, but by the age of six she was already living in Malaga city. She has been a fighter since she was very young: "My mother died during childbirth when I was not yet four years old. My godmother Angelita has looked after me like nobody else, she was the best", says Angelita Gómez during our relaxed conversation from her living-room armchair. Around her, walls full of paintings and portraits done by her husband, Francisco Jerez, or Paco as he was known to Angelita. With him she had six sons and nine grandchildren - a life full of love and a great sense of humour as they met when only six years old.

"It's been eleven years since he died and we had more than 60 years together, a whole life... He was unwell for a few years and even in those times he wouldn´t be beaten : we were used to dancing and even when he couldn't stand up, he would ask our sons to hold him so we could hug and dance together. He also took to singing... We loved each other very much until the end, always with respect too", she recalls, her voice catching with emotion.

When her husband died, she was quick to sign up for anything she could to keep her mind busy. "They even said to me: 'Have you got over your grief? I carried the grief in my heart and that never goes away, I still talk to him every day for a little while. But I wanted to keep active because life goes on, so I signed up for all sorts - handicraft classes, the gym, playing the castanets, dancing...", she says.

Still, there was another time when she had to start from scratch again. Before Covid-19 she suffered a stroke, which she overcame. "I was paralysed in half my body, there is one hand that's still not great, but I exercise it a lot. It was like being a newborn because I didn't know how to read, write or anything... I was left pretty helpless and decided to sign up for adult education to learn everything all over again", she says. So, during the pandemic she made her first videos for social media. She used to be helped by her neighbour Loli, but now she even has her own tripod and lighting rig to produce her own videos. "The Three Wise Men brought it to me," she says with a grin.

"It all started with a video in which I set up an Easter parade as during the pandemic all the people of Malaga missed Easter so much... I put on my mantilla, a veil, I dressed up and I used my walking frame like a throne; then I put some music on and then 'pum, pum' (acting out an Easter march)", she says, much amused. From then on it all just happened: Angelita is a real artist and has a gift with the camera to make others laugh: "They say that with this I help the elderly a lot and encourage them to do things, so look, if it helps, I'm happy", she admits.

Every day she goes out for a bit from 10 to 12 with her carer: "I am dependent on my carer, I can't go out on my own. I go with my walking frame and someone has to come with me so that I can do all my shopping and take a walk to clear my head. My children come to see me when they can, although they have their work. Many evenings, as the parking here is so bad, we have to look out for each other like lovers at the window, like Romeo and Juliet, we chat but they talk from the car and I look out from the living room", she explains with a wry smile.

This Instagramming influencer from Malaga is a breath of fresh air, a joy to behold and an energy boost for those who know her or follow her on social media. She will be a great ambassador for Soles de Málaga and whatever else she turns her hand to, because Angelita Gómez is already in the hearts and smiles of those who have been able to enjoy her Instagram shenanigans.