A tradie’s act of kindness has melted the hearts of many after he was secretly filmed helping out a senior citizen who was struggling to pay for his meal.

Bendigo dad David Love dropped in to McDonald’s for his morning coffee on Tuesday and noticed the elderly customer next to him fumbling with change.

The dad caught sight of the older gentleman counting his coins while trying to scrape enough to pay for his breakfast. So Mr Love offered to shout the stranger.

View photos Bendigo dad David Love noticed an elderly customer struggling to pay for his McDonald’s. More

Mr Love’s partner who was watching from her table, told Yahoo7 she couldn’t let the moment pass without getting out her phone and recording her sweetheart’s good deed to share on social media.

The 88-year-old’s grandson contacted the couple after coming across the video, to thank Mr Love for his generosity. He told them Bert has dementia and lost his wife and daughter recently, so the gesture “would have made his day”.

The footage begins with Mr Love, 42, making the transaction with his card, while the elderly man puts his coins back into his pocket with one hand, holding a walking stick with his other.

“That’s for your next coffee. Put it in your pocket,” he tells the octogenarian, while handing him some cash and patting him on the shoulder.

The tradie left the stunned pensioner and walked over to his partner who asked what he’d done.

“I’m helping the old fella out. He’s down on his last 20 bucks,” he said, while telling her he hoped she was not recording him.

Melanie Langley told a little white lie, saying she wasn’t.

View photos David Love paid for the elderly man’s breakfast and gave him $20 for his next coffee. Source: Melanie Langley / Facebook More

“He’s standing here with a whole heap of change. He’s a pensioner and he’s old,” Mr Love continued.

“So I paid for his meal and gave him 20 dollars.”

Ms Langley appears in awe as she calls him “Babe!”

“It is what it is, it’s life,” Mr Love told her.

After coming clean about her secret recording, Ms Langley shared the heartwarming video to Facebook on Tuesday morning, causing many others to fall in love with her hubby, too.

“STOP SCROLLING, this WILL make your day,” she wrote.

“I was in tears. This man melts my heart. I had no idea what he was up to as he ordered his morning coffee, but quickly realised and couldn’t not video this incredible act of kindness.

“Your true character is revealed when nobody’s watching.”

View photos Melanie Langley, who secretly recorded the exchange, said her partner David Love “melts my heart”. Source: Melanie Langley / Facebook More

She admitted she told him she wasn’t recording as he would have made her turn the camera off, but wanted his generosity to inspire others.

“If this inspires someone [else] to so a random act of kindness, your job is done,” she told Yahoo7.

She admitted the act was not out of character for her partner, who lost his father a few years ago. Bert reminded Mr Love of his own dad so he wanted to help him out, his partner shared.

The secret recording quickly went viral, being watched by more than 1 million people in 24 hours.

“Should be more people like you in this country mate. Good on ya i take my hat off to you,” one man commented.

A third added: “That elderly gent was so blessed to be near your hubby today. Paying it forward can be so rewarding in many ways.”

Some said the footage moved them to tears, while others called Mr Love a “champion”, “a keeper”, or said there should be more people like him in the world.