“You didn’t tell me Ewan McGregor is your neighbour!?”
That was the text from my friend, who’d stayed with us the week before.
Like any Dundonian expat (Surrey, not Sydney) worth her salt, she has a Courier subscription to keep up to date with news from home.
She’d seen pictures from Crieff Highland Games of Ewan and his brother Colin and read how the Hollywood star had recently moved closer to family, buying a house to renovate in the Carse of Gowrie.
“YOU live in the Carse of blinking (she didn’t say ‘blinking’) Gowrie!
“Did you know about this? We could have gone on a walk – bumped into him accidentally. You should start jogging. Past his house.
“Did I mention EWAN MCGREGOR is your neighbour? I’m coming to see you again. When are you free?”
I explained the Carse of Gowrie is not a small area. It stretches for about 20 miles on the north shore of the Tay, between Dundee and Perth – and we’re on the other side, up the hills.
She replied with a heartbreak emoji.
I looked up the story and image.
And suddenly I remembered all the times I’d spoken to McGregor – not Ewan but his brother Colin.
Life whizzed by in such a blur of free bars as a showbiz reporter – in what seems another life – it took me seeing the elder brother to remember.
Working for short spell as a journalist in Glasgow, we possibly first met in New York for the annual Scotland or Tartan Week. Or it might have been a bar in Scotland.
I told you my memory is bad.
What I remember most about him – apart from an uncanny resemblance to his brother – was his passion to raise awareness and raise money for the charity Erskine, for veterans in Scotland.
Every time we spoke, he was razor sharp and of course, given his job as an RAF pilot, clearly determined and driven.
Erskine supports veterans through care homes and a Veterans’ Village, helping nearly 800 residents and Colin was a dedicated advocate.
As I looked at the picture of these handsome brothers with hair silvering at the temples, I (even though a fraction younger) saw them through new eyes; those of a mother.
As a mum of three young boys, I could imagine how it would feel – looking at these strapping boys, towering over you, resplendent in their Highland dress and being overwhelmed by the love and pride of a mum.
Add into the equation, that one just happened to conquer Hollywood – a household name globally, from a household in the Perthshire market town of Crieff, with a population of less than 8,000.
Their parents were teachers – Carol, retired from Crieff High School and latterly deputy head at Kingspark School in Dundee; dad James – or Jim – was a PE teacher and careers master at the independent Morrison’s Academy.
It must be nothing short of surreal watching their younger boy in movies from Moulin Rouge to Star Wars.
Celebrity (in spite of my friend’s reaction) is not, however, everything and far from it.
Carol and Jim would be as proud of Colin – of his grit and drive flying Tornado GR4s for the RAF.
But I’d wager the thing that makes them really proud is that both their boys are here, near home and that they are both clearly decent men. Ewan could be schmoozing full time in Los Angeles or basking in the Bahamas but home is where his heart is.
If I was their mum, I’d be thankful I’d done something right.
And Ewan too has dedicated himself to charity work. Perhaps he’s best known for his work with UNICEF but the list of causes he has supported is long.
Yes he’s privileged but he also just happens to count being an actor as a day job -something many obsess over.
To Ewan, I bet it’s the heart surgeons and possibly fighter pilots like his brother who he believes deserve the real adulation.
Ewan McGregor’s parents must be proud of both boys
And privilege, as history both modern and ancient shows us time and time again, does not always maketh the man.
There’s a saying that varies but goes along the lines of – “behind every successful man there stands a woman”.
But for all the Hollywood actors or pop stars out there, I wonder how many of them count a sibling, cousin, friend or parent as the real hero – the teachers who change lives, soldiers who fight for our freedoms, surgeons who save lives.
As proud of Colin is of his wee brother’s success – that same brother he (if anything like any brothers I know) made fun of, stood up for, punched and loved in equal measure – I bet you Ewan is equally as proud of his big brother.
We want our kids to be happy and healthy. We want them to make their way in the world, carve out their own paths and follow their dreams.
In that respect the McGregor parents are no different to any of us.
But seeing their boys grown with their own families, having achieved so much… if I was their mum, I think I’d combust with pride.
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