Loneliness 'can affect anyone at any time'

Around three in 10 British adults (28%) say that they feel lonely at least some of the time, a BBC loneliness survey published in December 2014 found.

Charity representatives said it is a subject that many people find difficult to talk about. In this clip they defined loneliness:

"Loneliness is like a hunger; so hunger would remind us to eat, as thirst would remind us to drink; loneliness is just an internal trigger that reminds us that we need company," said Tracey Robbins from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

"The reality is that you can feel lonely in any part of your life, wherever you are, whoever you are surrounded by,” said Charlotte Akinola from the NSPCC.

"Loneliness is a very personal, subjective experience. We’ll all feel loneliness for different reasons. It’s a very serious public health issue," said Anna Goodman from the Campaign to End Loneliness.

This is part of the BBC's A Life Less Lonely: a day of programming across the BBC exploring the effects of loneliness across the UK.