Entertainment
Grandpa’s repayment: Michael Bublé gifts revamped home to former Filipino caretaker
Fulfilling his grandfather’s last wish and wrapping it up as a surprise is like a tale that is out of a movie. But Michael Bublé, who has serenaded hearts with his voice, is now touching hearts in real life with this story
Michael, 44, was very close to his grandfather, Demetrio, given that he grew up visiting his grandparents’ home daily.
“I miss him everyday,” Michael confessed in the latest episode of HGTV’s Celebrity IOU, saying that he looked up to him his whole life and that they bonded over music and sports. The interiors of the house had memories; always taking him back to family dinners in the kitchen or just talking with his grandpa in the family room.
“The greatest moments of my life happened here and in that room in the most formative years and the songs I learned and the style of music I fell in love with happened right here,” he said, crediting Demetrio as his influence in his own music.
To honor his late grandpa and his love for him, Michael decided to fulfill his last wish. His grandpa wanted to give this Vancouver house he built back in the 1970s to Minette, his grandfather’s former nurse and friend.
Minette was a community health worker in the Philippines who was later hired by Michael to take care of his grandfather; the latter whom he described to not “want anyone here.”
“My grandfather went from a little bit resentful to absolutely becoming one of her best friends, and she became family almost instantly,” he said in the episode.
Michael described Minette as a beautiful and selfless woman, since in the eight years that she worked for his grandfather, she chose to send all of her money to her family. She just rented an apartment while working in foreign land. That’s why to aid her and officially give the house to her, he waited for the perfect opportunity when she visited her family in the Philippines.
The singer, together with designers Drew and Jonathan Scott, the Property Brothers, only had three and a half weeks to renovate the home before she comes back. Success with the two’s skillset and Michael’s enthusiasm isn’t really questionable. The catch was how to capture Minette’s reaction on camera when she never liked being the center of attention.
Michael had a solution though. To pretend that all of this is a documentary about Michael and his Demetrio.
Just like that, not even words can describe the emotions on Minette’s face as she started breaking into tears at the surprise.
“My grandfather, his greatest wish was not just that this house was kept in the family but that this would your home because he loved you so much,” Michael told her.
“And so there is no documentary. This is all for you.”
“I have no words right now. It hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s beautiful, beautiful,” Minette said.
Celebrity IOU is a series in HGTV where Hollywood A-listers express their deep gratitude to the individuals who have had a major impact on their lives by surprising them with big, heartwarming home renovations that bring everyone to tears.
