Lonely pensioner overwhelmed by response after putting up poster looking for friends
His wife had recently died
Last updated 18th Sep 2020
A pensioner who recently appeared on This Morning, to talk about the 'unbearable torture' of being lonely 24 hours per day, has said he has been overwhelmed by the response to him looking for a friend.
Tony told Sky's Kay Burley, "I am absolutely bewildered in many ways, but so pleased because I have done this for my lovely wife.
"I have also done if for myself to try and get people to talk to me. It’s been quite a difficult task but I have cracked it."
He continued, “I’ve been absolutely inundated with calls, emails and now things in the post. It’s not just the quantity – in fact it’s bust my email system, I can’t use it now – but it’s also the quality.
“The sincerity, the empathy that I have had from all over the world. These people really feel my loneliness as their own grief and sometimes I’ve been reduced to tears."
The pensioner appeared on This Morning on Wednesday 16th September episode where he spoke to presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield about his recent plea, explaining that the lockdown had been particularly tough for him after the loss of this beloved wife Jo, at the beginning of May.
After struggling with loneliness over the last couple of months, Tony's plea went viral after putting up a poster in his window to find a companion to stop the 'unbearable torture' of being lonely 24 hours per day.
His poster read, 'I have lost Jo. My lovely wife and soul mate. I have no friends or family. No one to talk to. I find the unremitting silence 24 hours a day unbearable torture. Can no one help me?'
Before putting up the poster in his window, Tony handed out cards and put adverts in his local newspaper, but failed to get any response.
Watch Tony's interview on This Morning below:
When asked by Holly and Philip what he's looking for, Tony said, "I'm not looking for anybody who can ever take the place of Jo, but having said that I particular miss the company of lovely women, because I always found I can relate to the females more than men, I can't explain it it's just in my nature.
"I'm looking for empathy, sympathy, and to be able to talk to somebody at a deep level, who is on the same wave length as me, who has the same sort of values and ethos, because I just enjoy that sort of conversation."
❤️❤️❤️
If you are feeling lonely and would like to talk to somebody, a number of services are available including Age UK, Friends of the Elderly and Mind.