I’m the world’s oldest female standup comedian at 88 – young men constantly hit on me when I say that I’m a cougar

“People are surprised to hear an older person talk about sex,” she said.

“One thing that has surprised me is the number of young men who hit on me after a show. 

“I might make a joke about being a cougar and they’ll stand outside afterwards, waiting to talk to me.

“My friends think I’m mad. 

“They don’t understand why I wouldn’t choose to take it easy. 

“But I like engaging with the world and you’ve got to be in touch to be funny - you can’t stand on stage in New York or Paris and have out-of-date opinions or any kind of prejudice.”

D’yan, from New York, first stepped on stage as a standup comedian in 2003.

She was 68-years-old at the time and “terrified”. 

“I had no idea what the audience would make of me,” she recalled. “I’d never set foot in a comedy club before. 

“I’ve always been a performer – I’ve worked as a singer, actor and musician – but all that came to an end after 9/11. 

“I live in New York, and we watched the twin towers fall from my apartment building. 

“For a year afterwards, nobody wanted to go out or be entertained.”

“It was then that I started to think about comedy. 

“I realised people needed to laugh, to enjoy themselves again, and thought that with a little training I could do it.”

D’yan also recalled people “laughing nervously” during her first ever standup performance. 

“They were clearly surprised to see me, wearing a cardigan and carrying my ukulele,” she said.

“I introduced myself, stated my age and tried my first joke. There was silence. 

“But by the time I got to the third line, people were properly laughing. 

“I was hooked.”