A trip to the cinema to see her long lost relative Russell Crowe in the blockbuster film Les Miserables will be just the tonic for a woman fighting leukaemia.<\/p>\n
Valerie Hall, 66, \u00a0from Llangollen, came forward after an appeal to find relatives of the Oscar-winning Australian superstar by the manager of the Odeon cinema at Eagles Meadow in Wrexham.<\/p>\n
The first five family members who can show a connection will each get a pair of tickets to see the\u00a0 screen adaptation of Les Mis\u00e9rables, the hit 1980s musical based on Victor Hugo\u2019s classic 19th-century novel.<\/p>\n
The enthralling story of love, passion and redemption – nominated for a host of Oscars including Best Picture – is showing to packed audiences at the Odeon and is already promising to be the biggest film this year.<\/p>\n
Gladiator star Crowe can trace his family roots to Wrexham where grandfather, John Crowe, ran the grocers, Crofruit, before emigrating to New Zealand in the mid-1920s.<\/p>\n
Valerie had hoped to meet Crowe in 2009\u00a0 when had been due to return to his family roots in Wrexham for the BBC Wales programme, Coming Home, but unfortunately the project fell through.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cI believe\u00a0 that Russell Crowe\u2019s grandfather, John Edward Crowe, and my grandmother, Sarah Jane Crowe, were sister and brother.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe family were big in the Wrexham area and spread out from there. There really is a great many Crowes in the area and beyond. But one thing that stands out and how you always know it\u2019s a Crowe your talking to is the eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose icy-blue eyes are a real family trait I\u2019m afraid, all the Crowe\u2019s have them, they are not just peculiar to Russell.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cI’d love to have the chance to meet him out of curiosity more than anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
And while Russell Crowe\u2019s grandfather left Wrexham to start a new life in first New Zealand before finally settling in Australia, Valerie\u2019s ancestors stayed closer to home moving to Liverpool where she spent much of her life.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cMy maiden name was Dovaston, a name I can trace back to the times of William the Conqueror. It
\nactually means \u2018dark stump\u2019!<\/p>\n
\u201cI moved to Llangollen 26 years ago and initially ran a guest house although I have worked at a care home, in a wine shop and as a charity worker too.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t been in the best of health in the last few years and am currently taking a trial drug from America as I was diagnosed with a form of leukaemia known as Philadelphia chromosome.<\/p>\n
\u201cA trip to the Odeon at Eagles Meadow with my husband to see Les Mis\u00e9rables would be a real pick-me-up especially as there is that family connection, however distant it is.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think Russell Crowe is a wonderful actor and it\u2019s amazing to think we\u00a0 share a common ancestry. I hope if he ever comes back to North Wales he drops in for a chat. I think I\u2019d like to meet him now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Odeon Manager Andy Elvis was delighted to invite Valerie Hall to the cinema to see Les Mis\u00e9rables.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWe have had a phenomenal response to our appeal for\u00a0 relatives of Russell Crowe to come forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables is proving a big hit with Wrexham cinema goers and it\u2019s certainly a wonderful film and deserves every one of its Oscar nominations. I think audiences are amazed at the sheer scale of the film.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a truly first class cinema experience and I\u2019d encourage anyone who hasn\u2019t seen it to book a seat and come along for a wonderful night\u2019s entertainment.\u201d<\/p>\n