Just burying myself in my interests like doing my IT because I’m a bit of an IT person, obviously I have to be to do my job but just burying myself in that and burying myself because I’m also a reader as well although I don’t get as much time to do it now but I was a very vivid reader when I was younger.

Have you ever tried support groups or forums in relation to loneliness, not specifically now or maybe in the past?

Not directly loneliness but I did receive counselling support through work and a charity in the North East called [name of charity] which is also a counselling service. This was due because of my epilepsy, I had a bad run of seizures and that knocked my confidence right down the bottom. I felt really kind of isolated because I felt everyone’s carrying with this chronic condition and I actually did start contemplating taking my own life.

I’m really sorry.

No it’s not your fault.

It’s not your fault either.

I know.

But you’re better now?

Yes, yes I’m better.

Okay, could you tell me a little bit about how that consultations helped you get out of that isolation zone?

I think it was just, you know, they taught us how to appreciate despite the fact I’ve had this illness, you know, I’m still surrounded by people who would be deeply hurt if I did end my life and I was also as well worried that I was going to lose my job and again thankfully work reassured us that wasn’t the case because that was one thing I was really in a state of worry about and that’s what pushed my anxiety right up.

There are many figures, lonely figures in books or in movies, you know in TV series that we watch. Do you remember any of them? Are there any that stick to your mind and you kind of identify with?

Well one of them I’m thinking of recently because I’ve watched the Netflix series The Crown and I would say Princess Diana.I know she went round the crowds and everything but I honestly think deep down she was a very lonely person.

Why do you think that? I have the same perception.

My verdict is, is because she was very young when she got married to Charles and I don’t know whatever side of the fence you’re on whether you’re pro Charles or pro Diana, she just wasn’t equipped or taught.

I’m a woman.

I know don’t get me wrong, I’m pro Diana, I honestly think Charles the way he treated her was absolutely disgusting.

Yes, well you know we’re on camera so I can’t say otherwise but yes.

I can understand that and I’ll also not express anymore of my view but basically she was brought up where she very quickly married into a relationship with a man who was quite a chunk older than her, I’m not saying age differences are a thing but in that sort of environment and she was basically married into the marriage without knowing anything about each other, they had completely different interests. She was obviously younger, wanted to do her own thing and she was basically into her family where affection is very sort of… I’m not saying The Crown’s accurate in any way because it isn’t but I pretty much guarantee that the royal family is probably one of the coldest families on the planet particularly when you have the matriarch Queen Elizabeth, she can’t be expected to be all huggy and that and she’s brought into that. I think yes she did try to alleviate a sense of loneliness and detachment from the family and from Charles who clearly was not invested in the marriage, besides he needed heirs, you know going out and interacting with people and becoming the people’s princess and that was probably her way of coping with it.

Yes because people are becoming more closed off if you think about it. Like look at how much people integrate with their mobile phones and even me and my partner you know if we’re sitting having a coffee in Costa both of us will have our phones whether it’s on social media or just browsing the web, so I think there is an increasing amount of loneliness happening not necessarily on purpose just in general, the way we interact is becoming more of isolation.

Why do you think we do that? why don’t we interact with each other and interact with our phone? It’s a very hard question.

It’s a hard question, part of me would say in some ways the ease, anonymity of interacting online. It’s probably easier to interact with a bunch of strangers online than it is in person for example.

Is that the case for you?

Yes, because when I came online and that and I speak to people on the group you know because they may see a picture of us but they don’t know who I am personally, it’s easier that way.

Well with the lockdown and all these tiers and that, we often take for granted that we could just pop out and see someone or we could pop out and see family in the car or on the bus unless obviously you’re significantly disabled or any other circumstance but when this pandemic hit, we all became essential silos and while we can video chat thanks to technology and that, it just doesn’t seem to have that same personal touch like let’s say if me and my partner lived in separate houses, yes we could communicate like this like we did before we moved in together but it was never the same where I could physically hug her. I think that’s what contributes a lot to the loneliness in the pandemic because there’s that physical connection.