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Kate Winslet has donated £17,000 to a mother facing sky-high energy bills to keep her cerebral palsy-stricken daughter alive on a ventilator.
Carolynne Hunter, from Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire, was warned by the council that her bill could rise from £6,500 to £17,000 next year.
Her daughter Freya, 12, has severe cerebral palsy and is dependent on oxygen for chronic breathing problems.
Miss Hunter said she was overwhelmed when the Titanic actress, 47, intervened when she heard their fight on BBC Scotland.
Winslet donated £17,000 to the family GoFundMe Page and contacted Miss Hunter to wish them well.
Miss Hunter, 49, said: ‘Our journey as a family has been very traumatic and I just feel ready at this point in my life.
Carolynne Hunter, from Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire, was warned by the council that her bill could rise from £6,500 to £17,000 next year
Miss Hunter said she was overwhelmed when the Titanic actress, 47, intervened when she heard their battle on BBC Scotland
Her daughter Freya, 12, has severe cerebral palsy and depends on oxygen for chronic breathing problems
“When I heard about the money, I burst into tears – I thought it wasn’t even real. I still think ‘Is this real?”
The Hunters live in a large town hall in Tillicoultry, which is not energy efficient, so there is room for Freya’s equipment.
It currently costs them £6,500 a year to use the kit and heat the house, although Miss Hunter said she had turned the heating off in most rooms to save money.
Although she works full-time in the third sector for a moderate wage, she does not receive the same support as people on low incomes.
Miss Hunter is also concerned that potential winter power cuts in the event of reduced gas supply due to the Russian war in Ukraine could jeopardize Freya’s care.
She said: ‘It’s still freezing and we’re not even at sub-zero temperatures yet. I gasp at the staff for not turning on the heating unless it’s necessary.
“The council has installed solar panels to help, but I don’t think it will help with the bill.”
Miss Winslet’s extraordinary generosity means the family can go into the year next year knowing they can afford the life support Freya so desperately needs.
Miss Hunter, 49, said: ‘When I heard about the money I burst into tears – I thought it wasn’t even real. I still think ‘Is this real?”
Winslet donated £17,000 to the family’s GoFundMe page and contacted Miss Hunter to wish them well
Miss Winslet, who lives in a quiet village in West Sussex, is estimated to be worth around £50 million
The star also reached out to wish the family well. Miss Hunter added: ‘I have not spoken out about getting donations, but at the same time I have to make sure Freya is okay.
“I’m going to be helped, but what about everyone else? I wanted the government to pay for it and do the right thing – it shouldn’t be a celebrity interfering.”
Miss Winslet, who lives in a quiet village in West Sussex, is estimated to be worth around £50 million.
She married Edward Abel Smith, a cousin of business magnate Richard Branson, in 2012. The couple have one child together, Bear Blaze, who was born in 2013.
The star also has two other children from previous marriages.
Her eldest, Mia, was born in 2000 during her first marriage to film director Jim Threapleton. She also had a child, Joe, in 2003 with second husband, film director Sam Mendes.
Miss Winslet is patroness of the Family Haven, a charity set up to help underprivileged and vulnerable families in Gloucestershire.