Hugh Grant nicknamed ‘Jesus’ and praised for ‘saving lives’ with charity donations to elderly and vulnerable people-Rachael O'Connor-Entertainment – Metro

Hugh Grant has been likened to a ‘god’ as he gifts a whopping amount to a UK charity (Picture: WireImage)

Hugh Grant has been nicknamed ‘Jesus’ by the grateful founder of a charity that helps the elderly and vulnerable.

James Anderson, founder of charity Depher, hailed Hugh as a ‘god’ after the actor donated to the charity for the third time on Thursday morning, having previously given tens of thousands of pounds to the cause.

Depher provides free plumbing and heating services for the elderly and vulnerable, with Hugh this week giving another £10,000 to the cause on GoFundMe.

James, calling Hugh his brother’, said his newest contribution was more important than ever with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

‘If I could rename Jesus, I would call him Hugh,’ the 54-year-old from Burnley told the PA news agency.

‘We’ve now (got) a free boiler for a 94-year-old lady because of Hugh.

It is the third time Hugh has donated to James’ charity (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)

‘There’s another lady who has a brain tumour, (she) and her husband haven’t had heating or hot water for 17 months and now they will get a new boiler … because of Hugh.

He added: ‘It’s not that it helps towards or makes life a little bit easier – it actually saves lives.’

Hugh’s latest £10,000 gift was made to the charity’s most recent GoFundMe, which has now raised over £51,000.

James is now hoping to have Depher operating in every town and city in the UK.

The charity founder explained that he had spoken with the Mamma Mia actor over Twitter, where Hugh reportedly said he ‘respects’ and has ‘a lot of compassion’ for Depher’s work.

James says Hugh will ‘always be my brother’ after his help with the charity (Picture: Getty Images for WarnerMedia)

‘In my opinion, that man will always be my brother,’ James said.

‘I might never see him, I might never meet him, but he’ll always be my brother.’

Hugh’s gift will cover nearly a third of Depher’s monthly spend for those without heating or hot water, which James describes as ‘a medicine to an illness we’re all fighting.’

‘I will share the shoes off my feet, I will sell everything I own, I’ll even remortgage my house and sell my false teeth as long as I know these children are being fed again,’ he insisted.

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‘And even though (Hugh) is miles away, he still gets involved because he watches, he listens, he understands and he knows where we’re coming from.’

Depher has helped over 39,000 families get free heating and hot water in their homes since its launch in 2017.

Hugh has made three separate donations to the charity, including a £10,000 gift in October 2021.

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