when celebrities rock

Emma Thompson adopted an African son. It did not make headlines around the world. And he wasn’t a toddler at the time.

His name is Tindy and he was welcomed into Emma’s family when he was 16, a Rwandan refugee newly arrived in England after fleeing the war torn country. They met at a Refugee Council event six years ago. I love how simply she describes it:

“He didn’t have much English, but we just got talking. His experience had been awful and when he finally got to Britain after tremendous suffering, he told us the authorities didn’t believe him. He spent two nights sleeping rough before they finally did. It was the only time he considered suicide. He’s such a lovely, enchanting boy, so I said “Come and spend Christmas with us”. And he came for half the day. Slowly he became a permanent fixture, went on holidays with us and became part of the family.”

Tindy graduated from Exeter University yesterday with a degree in politics.

Emma did not pose with him surrounded by sad African children and a light shining on her beatific perfectly made up face. But she did pose with Tindy and the diploma, beaming with pride.

Thanks Lainey for this story