A grandfather, 90, who had a lonely self-isolation by himself during the coronavirus lockdown found joy in recreating dance videos on popular social media platform Tik Tok.

Grandad Tony, from Watford, has been living by himself for the past five years with no carers, which meant that when the country underwent lockdown due to coronavirus, he was left by himself.

In fear of the virus, Tony kept himself mostly indoors and had a very lonely lockdown apart from the weekly visits from his granddaughter Jessica King and his children on a Saturday to check on his wellbeing while keeping their distance.

When noticing how upset he was during the period, his granddaughter tried to find a way to cheer him by suggesting to keep ‘fit’ and stay moving by recreating popular Tik Tok dances.

Watford Observer: Grandad Tony on his 90th birthdayGrandad Tony on his 90th birthday

Ms King said: “His family members and kind neighbours would deliver him food and pay social distance visits on the doorstep due to him not being able to get out and have his little bit of freedom.

“On one of my weekly visits, I saw he was a little down and not being able to leave the house, so I had an idea.

“I had recently got myself hooked on Tik Tok and thought it would be a great idea to cheer him up and get him moving to help loosen his joints.”

Watford Observer:

Grandad Tony (left) and Jessica King (right)

Tik Tok is a video social media platform which became a popular way to make viral dance videos in relation to trending songs and pop culture references.

While Grandad Tony does not necessarily recognise most songs, memes or references in such Tik Toks, he was encouraged by his granddaughter to try out some of the dances to lift his spirits.

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Ms King explained: “He tells me stories all the time about how he took my nan dancing for their first date and how much he loved dancing with her.

“I thought getting him up and dancing with him would make him smile. After recording the first video, I showed it to him, and he automatically smiled and said ‘wow I still got moves’.

“I then posted it on my social media and my friends and family would say how lovely it was to see him doing these innocent videos.”

The granddaughter then decided that with her weekly visits, she could use these moments as a ‘weekly workout’ so he can maintain some physical movement.

Ms King said she would show him the common dance technique in a trending Tik Tok video before he would recreate it.

Despite it starting as a distraction from the lockdown, Ms King explained this is something she definitely will continue as restrictions continue to ease.

She said: “He really enjoys it and literally laughs about it every time.”

Grandad Tony celebrated his 90th birthday yesterday (July 6) and was in the presence with his family.

To see more videos, search 'jessicaking950' on Tik Tok.