A FORMERLY lonely man’s appeal for friends spread across the world in under 24 hours, leading him to be engulfed by calls and emails from overseas.

Tony Williams placed an emotive poster in his window, and was his “last resort” in an attempt to find some friendly company.

The poster read: “I have lost Jo. My wife and soul mate.

“I have no friends or family – no one to talk too.

“I find the unremitting silence 24 hours a day unbearable torture.

“Can no one help me?”

Tony had previously had business cards made with his details in, handing them out whenever he went to the supermarket or for a walk – but no one called him.

Tony said: “I’ve tried everything to make friends, but it feels like nobody wants to talk to me.

“Not very many people pass my house, but I was hoping it would spread around the community, and someone might reach out.

“Jo was my best friend and we had a lovely life. But now I’m all by myself. My wonderful wife has just died, and I have nobody.”

The retired physicist has no children, and said he would often sit at home willing the phone to ring but “it never does” – until now.

Following the publication of his story in national newspapers, Tony received an influx of calls on Tuesday (September 14), speaking to people from Cairo, Florida, Germany and The Netherlands.

“I am absolutely bowled over with the response,” Tony said.

“When it went onto social media, that’s where it went absolutely crazy.”

Speaking of his wife, Tony said: “It’s not all about me – if your talking about the celebrity then the celebrity is my lovely wife, who was absolutely wonderful.

“The day we met was incredible, we started talking and I mean she was very attractive, but it wasn’t just physical attraction, there was something much deeper.”

The couple had lived in Kempley, Gloucester for 25 years, before moving to Alton.

But following their move, Jo fell ill with pancreatic cancer and died just nine days after her diagnosis.

Tony said: “It has given me a feeling of exhilaration, but it has also developed so much.

“When I put that poster up I saw it, really as a way of me having conversations with other people.

“But now, I think it has got to be more – I’m thinking there ought to be a campaign, because I picked up on the fact that there are literally thousands of people who will pick up the phone when there is story like this and be willing to speak to a total stranger.”

Tony said the response had “brought tears to my eyes”, and said that while he may not be able to speak to everyone, he was grateful of the efforts made.