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Hugh Grant and wife donate £20,000 to UK's kindest plumber's heating charity

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Hugh Grant and his wife Anna gifted £20,000
Hugh Grant and his wife Anna gifted £20,000

Hugh Grant and his wife Anna gave a plumber a "wonderful Christmas gift" in the form of £20,000.

James Anderson, 55, was stunned to find out the celebrity couple had gifted him £20,000 just in time for the festive season. The plumber revealed how actor Hugh, 63, and wife Anna Elisabet Eberstein, 40, made the donation to his charity DEPHER, which stands for Disabled and Elderly, Plumbing and Heating Emergency Response.

Taking to X – formerly Twitter – James shared the news with his followers. He provides free work for elderly and disabled customers and wrote: "After speaking privately to @HackedOffHugh and Anna Grant. I have permission to share their wonderful # Christmas gift to @Depheruk.

Hugh Grant and wife donate £20,000 to UK's kindest plumber's heating charity qhidddidqiqkhprwJames Anderson provides plumbing services to disabled and elderly members of the public (Dan Rowlands / SWNS.com)
Hugh Grant and wife donate £20,000 to UK's kindest plumber's heating charityHugh and Anna made a huge donation to James' charity (AFP via Getty Images)

"This wonderful and humbling donation of £20,000.00 will give hope to thousands of people, families and children, especially with the #CostOfLivingCrisis. They both have my lifetime of respect and love." Social media users couldn't believe the kind gesture as they supported James in the comment section.

One said: "Excellent news, some breathing room for you all." Another added: "An incredibly generous donation that will do so much good in your hands. The difference this will make to people's lives." Someone else commented: "Two wonderful human beings. Such a generous gift. This will go a long way to helping others." A fourth wrote: "Fantastic news and what a marvellous gesture by them."

Hugh Grant takes in magic of the FA Cup at Fulham but has view blocked by poleHugh Grant takes in magic of the FA Cup at Fulham but has view blocked by pole

James has helped thousands of customers with his free service. He decided to shut down his private firm to launch the not-for-profit company DEPHER. He went viral for sharing how he sent a bill to a 91-year-old woman with acute leukemia for £0. The receipt had a note attached which read: "No charge for this lady under any circumstances. We will be available 24 hours to help her and keep her as comfortable as possible."

The plumber worked hard to raise funds through crowdfunding and donations so that he can support those across Lancashire in need. The dad-of-five was inspired to launch his charity after seeing an elderly man being poorly treated by another engineer. Since 2017, James has been providing free or lower cost plumbing to those in need.

Hugh's donation comes after he attended Chanel's Metiers d'Art show in Manchester on Thursday with his wife Anna. The couple attended the star-studded event and took their seat next to Tilda Swinton for the fashion show in the city's Northern Quarter. Hugh and Anna wed in 2018 at the Chelsea register office near their west London home.

The actor stars in the new Wonka film where he plays an Oompa-Loompa. However, he has since revealed he "hated" playing the role. "It was like a crown of thorns, very uncomfortable," he said referencing the multiple cameras in his view to capture his facial expression and help bring his character to life. "I made a big fuss about it," before he added: "I couldn't have hated the whole thing more."

The actor said he was left frustrated when he wasn't sure whether or not he needed to act with his body. But he later learned that it wasn't needed as the body acting was done by an animator. He'd said he was glad that was the case: "And frankly, what I did with my body was terrible and it's all been replaced with an animator,"reports Digital Spy.

He later went on to say: "I have lots of children and need money," according to Metro. Ahead of its release, the movie received backlash over casting the British actor to play an Oompa-Loompa, a role which has previously been given to actors with dwarfism.

Mia O'Hare

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