'I'm enjoying life more than I've ever done': 7 Up! star Bruce Balden reflects on life at 70 - and reveals poem from his soldier father who was posted to Africa when he was a child

One of ITV's original Seven Up! stars has revealed he is 'enjoying life probably more than I have ever done' as he looks back at his life in the final series of the show.Bruce Balden was aged seven when he was first interviewed for the documentary in 1964, saying that his dream was to see his father - a soldier posted in southern Africa.More than six decades later and now aged 70, Mr Balden has revealed how he is making the most of his retired life by singing in a choir and volunteering for the RNLI.In an exclusive clip shared with the Daily Mail ahead of '70 Up' airing on ITV1 at 9pm tomorrow, Mr Balden has spoken about his retired life in Berwick-upon-Tweed.He says: 'I start each day walking the dogs on the beach and then I do choir in the evening. On a Wednesday, I tend to go to the lifeboat house to do some training.'I feel lucky. I'm enjoying life probably more than I have ever done. I think what you want to do is live a good life and whatever helps you do that.'The clip also looks back at his first interview on 7 Up more than 60 years ago, in which he said: 'My heart's desire is to see my daddy, who's 6,000 miles away.' Bruce Balden, one of the original stars of Seven Up!, reflects on his life in the new series 70 Up Mr Balden was aged seven when he was first interviewed for the hit ITV series in 1964 Mr Balden said aged seven that his dream was to see his father - a soldier posted in Africa Mr Balden is pictured teaching maths in 28 Up, which his father later told him that he had seen Mr Balden's father sent him a photograph of him with a poem, which he has put in a frameThe context was that his father was in the Royal Air Force and later the British Army, and became stationed in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) - but his parents then separated.Mr Balden came back to the UK with his mother and was sent to a boarding school in Hampshire, living with his aunt during the holidays while his mother worked.Speaking now, Mr Balden said: 'There'd been an estrangement that was difficult to overcome. But he did say that he's proud of me because he saw me on 28 Up I think, and he just said "Oh, I'm very proud of what you're doing".'I discovered a photograph that he must have sent to me when I was about seven or eight, about the same age as the first programme, saying "this is a photograph of me so you don't forget what I look like", which is heartfelt, together with a poem. I've had it framed with a picture of my dad.'In the poem, his father says: 'You bring undreamt-of joy to a distant heart now aching.'Mr Balden had originally told of his dream to become a missionary in Africa, but he instead went on to study maths at Oxford University.He then taught children at a comprehensive in London's East End, then in Bangladesh and later at the independent St Albans School in Hertfordshire. Mr Balden now volunteers for the RNLI at its Spittal Beach lifeboat station Mr Balden also sings in a choir and is pictured during a rehearsal of Handel's Messiah His father was in the RAF and became stationed in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) (From left) John, Bruce, Symon, Andrew, Suzy, Jackie, Tony, Sue, Peter, Paul "and Neil in 70 UpMr Balden married history teacher Penny in 1997 and they had two sons.He now volunteers for the RNLI at its Spittal Beach lifeboat station, but told the Times: 'Some people see us as a taxi service for immigrants. It's depressing.' The Up series started in 1964 by interviewing 14 seven-year-olds from different socio-economic backgrounds, and has followed them every seven years since. Speaking to the Daily Mail's Weekend magazine about the show earlier this month, Mr Balden said: 'I do see myself in that seven year old. 'I don't know whether some aspects of my character are immutable or I've changed. But I see a rather lost soul. I want to reassure him that it will be a ride, but life is going to be all right.'He added: 'Some reality TV now is very contrived. We had none of that. It was just, 'Tell us what you're doing, where you're at, what you're interested in'.'I've been asked if being on the programme has affected my choices, and I can't say it has. I've no regrets. I take pride in being part of what's turned out to be a social document about Britain.''70 Up' airs on ITV1 and ITVX tomorrow at 9pm