I’m an escort and Blue Monday is my busiest time of the year – I help middle-aged victims of Britain’s loneliness epidemic

Sex workers have reported a surge in demand for their services which they say is driven by the UK’s loneliness epidemic — with thousands seeking ‘platonic companionship’. 

Classified website Vivastreet, which hosts ads for escorts in the UK, told MailOnline it’s seen a recent rise in male clients seeking sympathetic ears and a ‘judgment-free space’ to open up about their struggles, fears, and anxieties.

It comes amid ‘Blue Monday’ — the third Monday in January, which is the supposed ‘most miserable day of the year’, due to a combination of poor weather and a post-Christmas slump. 

One sex worker reported a marked change in services requested by clients this January, with many seeking more of an ’emotional’ session.

Gigi Patsy, a 28-year-old escort of three years from Hertfordshire, said January is a particularly busy month, when men tend to be particularly in need of a friendly ear.

‘Talking has become as much a part of my job as sex is,’ she told MailOnline. 

Gigi, who charges £250 per session, said many of her clients are suffering the aftermath of what she calls a, ‘post-Christmas breakdown’.

‘Some men aren’t that interested in sex, they book the session because they want someone to be nice to them for an hour,’ she said, adding that one client recently thanked her for ‘saving lives’.

‘You have people struggling with work, a break up, problems at home…some just go “Oh it’s been such a long day”…or might not have friends to speak to,’ she said. 

She also said there had been a noticeable jump in men seeking to spend their time with her in a more emotional and conversation-focused way. 

‘The people that come see me will book an amount of time and they’ll want to talk for some of it,’ she said.

‘They’ll lay on the bed, we’ll do whatever we want to do and then there’ll be that bit of “aftercare” where you’re talking to each other.

‘I’ve noticed far more of my regulars coming over and just wanting a “catch-up”.’

Middle-aged men and those with autism are most likely to request non-sexual, ’emotion-led’ sessions, she said.

Gigi recalled spending four hours with one man interested in crossdressing in a ‘marathon session’ in which very little sexual intimacy took place. 

She detailed how this involved helping him with wardrobe choices, having drinks together and casually chatting. 

‘When he was leaving he gave me a big cuddle and a card saying “I wanted to give you this, I had an amazing time”,’ she said. 

‘And then he told me, “people like you save people’s lives”‘. 

Gigi often advises her clients to seek professional mental health treatment and on one occasion, even helped a man find a suitable therapist after he opened about he was struggling after a ‘death in the family’. 

‘We spoke a lot and he opened up about his anxiety and how his family were now expecting so much from him.

‘You could see how how he had weight on his shoulders.’  

She added that many clients seemed to be more comfortable talking to her than to a therapist.

Gigi attributed this to the intimidating nature of booking in a professional help an admitting you have a problem.

‘A huge part of my role is to be non-judgemental and make people feel comfortable so that’s why I think they feel the can be vulnerable with me,’ she said.

‘They feel like they can’t open up to their partners and they don’t want the stigma of going to see a therapist.

‘What we do during an appointment is so distracting that they might not even realise they are opening up about their problems.’ 

Data suggests Britain is experiencing what has been dubbed a loneliness epidemic, with some studies finding men report more isolation than the general population.

A 2019 survey found almost one in five men admitted to having no close friends and a third didn’t have a best friend. 

The latest figures suggests about seven per cent of the population, about 3million people in England, often or always felt lonely.

This is rise from pre-pandemic when only six per cent of people reported such feelings.

When broken down by sex, eight per cent of women reporting frequently feeling lonely compared to 6 per cent of men

However, some charities warn men often feel stigma about expressing loneliness and are therefore could be less likely to admit it when asked.