"Is this real?" Family in shock after Kate Winslet pays $30k power bill
Kate Winslet has stepped in to help ease the financial strain on a hard-working family, who are full-time carers for their disabled daughter.
Mum-of-four Carolynne Hunter started a GoFundMe page to help pay for her electricity bill after they were warned by the council that their bill – normally already high at £6500 ($A11,500) a year – was going to almost triple to the eye-watering amount of £17,000 ($A30,000).
Carolynne said her daughter Freya, 12, has severe cerebral palsy and chronic breathing problems, and relies on the oxygen machine to help her breathe.
“Freya has the most beautiful smile,” Ms Hunter wrote in the GoFundMe. She said her daughter was “enriching our lives every day”.
With the cost of living crisis reaching catastrophic levels in the UK, the family, who live in a council house in the Scottish town of Tillicoultry, didn’t know how they were going to afford the massive bills.
“I have no way of reducing the usage of energy in our home,” the 49-year-old mum wrote. “My older daughter and I have historically lived in fuel poverty to keep Freya safe and comfortable making sure all her medical needs are being met whilst allowing me to keep my bills as low as possible.
“We dread every winter in our cold home.”
Carolynne got the shock of her life when her GoFundMe page raised the amount of money needed with one donation, with the $30,000 gift coming from "Kate Winslet and Family".
The mum told BBC Scotland she “burst into tears” at the news that the actress had made the huge donation.
“Our journey as family has been very traumatic and I just feel done at this point in my life,” she said.
“When I heard about the money I just burst into tears – I thought it wasn’t even real. I’m still thinking is this real?”
Image credits: GoFundMe / Getty Images