When a 95-year-old man called into a BBC radio show saying he was lonely and missed his wife, they had just the solution: invite him to the studio for a cup of coffee.
Radio Solent host Alex Dyke was going about his mid-morning program as usual when he got a call from a longtime listener named Bill Palmer, according to the BBC. Bill told Dyke he was upset because his wife had recently been put in a nursing home after suffering a severe fall. He just wanted somebody to talk to.
"You probably listen to this show and think I'm a right idiot," Dyke told Bill on-air, "But I'm your idiot, Bill, and I'm here to keep you company every morning."
So Dyke decided to send a cab to bring Bill to the studio.
Bill married his 85-year-old wife, Sheila, last June after they had been friends for 30 years, according to his on-air conversation with Alex Dyke. When Sheila's husband died, Bill took over as her caretaker and they eventually decided to get married. She suffers from dementia and colitis, and was taken to a nursing home after her injury.
"He called up to say he was lonely," Chris Hitchings, broadcast assistant, told Buzzfeed U.K. "I don't think he had anyone else to talk to."
Bill visits Sheila at the nursing home every day, but the separation has been difficult.
"Every day is hell," he told Dyke.
Bill's story and Dyke's simple gesture resonated with thousands of listeners, who phoned in offering support for Bill. The studio even plans to keep in touch with Bill in the future, according to Metro.
Watch Bill's visit to the studio below:
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