Butler who spent 10 Christmases alone overrun with invitations after placing ad James Gray, 85, has spent the past ten Christmases alone at London flat Placed heartfelt advert asking for someone to share Christmas Day with him Only one person responded to Mr Gray's plea and later cancelled on him But since appearing on front of newspaper, he has been overrun with offers 'It is so touching to see this response from people,' says retired butler By Sophie Evans A retired butler who has spent the past 10 Christmases alone has been inundated with offers after placing an advert asking for someone to share the day with him. James Gray, 85, put the unusual request in a newspaper following a decade of lonely festive celebrations at his flat in south London. The last person he had spent Christmas Day with was his accountant - 11 years ago. Overwhelmed: James Gray, 85, pictured at his flat in London, has spent the past 10 Christmases alone. He has been inundated with offers after placing an advert asking for someone to share Christmas Day with him The Irish-born pensioner hoped the advert - which he placed in The Irish Post - would help him find other lonely people to celebrate December 25 with. However, he was left disappointed when only one person responded to his advert - before later telling him she would be spending the day with someone else. Now, since featuring on the front of the newspaper, Mr Gray has received dozens of invitations from readers, charities and Twitter users. He has also received his first Christmas cards in years - with some coming from as far away as New York. Response: The retired butler has also received his first Christmas cards in years, including the one pictured Publicity: Irish-born Mr Gray featured on the front of The Irish Post after only one person responded to his plea 'I'm used to the loneliness but I don't want it to be the same this year,' he told The Irish Post. I just had smoked salmon and prawns on my own last year and I had to put up with it. I think the last time I saw someone on Christmas Day was when I saw my accountant about 10 years ago. It is so touching to me, after all these years alone, to see this response from people. Mr Gray, who was born in Midleton, County Cork, has had no contact with his family since his first cousin died more than a decade ago. During his career as a butler, he has worked for some of the UK's most lavish homes, including Luttrellstown Castle in Dublin, where he served the multi-millionaire Guinness family, according to The Independent. Job: Mr Gray has worked for some of Britain's most lavish homes, including Luttrellstown Castle in Dublin Yesterday, Liverpool councillor Jake Morrison, 21, said he hoped to invite Mr Gray to a Christmas Day gathering for pensioners - with free travel and a hotel included. 'I always go to bingo and I've noticed that instead of feeling quite jolly at Christmas, some pensioners feel a bit depressed, so I've been talking to them about it.' he said. Mr Gray is just one of nearly 500,000 pensioners in Britain who face spending Christmas alone, according to Age UK. People living alone are more likely to be lonely - with nearly 4million elderly people currently living on their own in the UK. And the issue is set to worsen over the next two decades - with the number of over-65s living alone predicted to increase by up to 50 per cent by 2033.