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After writing about loneliness, Dame Esther received an “inspirational” letter from widower Bob Lowe ‑ which motivated her to found The Silver Line charity, which helps older people in the UK battling solitude. Bob died aged 99 in the early hours of yesterday.

Dame Esther said: “I wrote about feelings of loneliness back in 2011 and the first personal letter I got was from Bob, who explained that his wife Kath had died two years previously from Alzheimer’s.

“He said, ‘Sixty-five years of marriage and more importantly 72 years since we first kissed… she waited throughout the war, and I for her. Loneliness, tell me about it.’

“I carried that letter with me as an inspiration for setting up The Silver Line.”

Dame Esther said that after appearing in a film, Bob ‑ The Silver Line’s first ambassador ‑ “raised millions” through his “bravery and eloquence”.

She added: “He went everywhere telling people not to keep loneliness to themselves, not to feel shy or ashamed to admit it because reaching out to other people helps you and helps them.”

The father of three’s daughter, Martine Goodrich, said: “We are all so enormously proud of dad. He has left behind a huge legacy.”

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