Tucked down a quiet, leafy road in the heart of Wiltshire, Julia's House is surrounded by an unmistakable buzz of excitement. As HELLO! arrives at the purpose-built children's hospice, the nurses and staff are all smiles to welcome back a familiar face: screen star, author and long-standing patron Rupert Everett.
Although he modestly insists that he isn't "hands-on", Rupert brings warmth and delight to the families and carers inside. And the actor himself is equally delighted to be back at their sanctuary, highlighting a cause that means the world to him.
"I'm very excited to be able to draw attention to it, to our Dorset and Wiltshire HELLO! readers, of which there are many, I know, because I see the magazine everywhere," says Rupert, 67, with a warm smile. "The main thing is that they only get 8% funding from the government. They have to find the rest from donations, so any opportunity we can get to promote it is vital."
Rupert's connection with Julia's House began in conjunction with his late mother, Sara Maclean Everett, who died in late 2025 at the age of 91.
© Brandon Moss"My mother and I made friends with some people who were working at Julia's House in Dorset originally, when they were first thinking of trying to come to Wiltshire," he says.
Speaking fondly of his mother, he adds: "She wasn't a happy-clappy type of generous and charitable person. She was quite dragon-like in one sense, but very, very nice.
"Like everyone, she was immensely moved and horrified by the idea of parents having to look after sick children. In a perfect world, it just shouldn't happen; parents and children should have a wonderful life together.
"It's the cruellest thing for a child to get ill. I think she was very moved by that. It makes you feel very lucky – you take so much for granted in your life, so I think that's what inspired her to help."
What started as a community-led service in Dorset in 2003 soon expanded across the county border when local medical teams identified an urgent need for specialist paediatric care. Led in its early days by the nurse Claire Hudson-Cooper – now the organisation's director of care – the Wiltshire trial received an overwhelming response from families in need.
Rupert was a supporter from the start, rallying help to build a permanent home in the county, recording fundraising films, speaking at major donor receptions and donating auction prizes. The Wiltshire hospice will mark its tenth anniversary next year, and his dedication to the charity remains as strong as ever.
"The worst possible thing you can imagine is your child getting sick," Rupert says. "It's scary and overwhelming. Often, a family is living in a kind of suspended, submerged horror that they can't show to their other children.
"What Julia's House does – not just with its fabulous nurses, but as shoulders to cry on and guides through the maze of support – is extraordinary."
The hospice offers a joyful, comforting space where seriously ill children can enjoy sleepovers and daytime activities, providing exhausted parents with much-needed respite. "Every single gift mainlines help straight into the community," Rupert says. "If you give £50, you know it's making a real, tangible difference."
For Rupert, who is married to his partner, Brazilian accountant Henrique, supporting the hospice goes hand-in-hand with his quiet life in the countryside. Having moved back to his childhood village to live with his mother in her final years, the actor has traded the high-octane glare of Hollywood for a simpler existence, embracing his inner "country bumpkin" with his signature self-deprecating wit.
"I'm living a completely different life now," he says. "I spend it quite isolated, but not in a bad way. I'm very happy. I love living in Wiltshire and I love nature, so it's good. When you have your parents die in the same village you live in, you get attached to it somehow. It feels like a part of you.
"It's about communication and connection – the very thing we're all fighting against in a modern world where everyone is staring down into an inverted glitterball of a smartphone."
Meanwhile, Rupert's career continues to thrive. In addition to forthcoming film projects, a return to the London stage next year and the development of a new book, his standout performance in the hit drama series Rivals has won him a new generation of fans.
Speaking of the popular show, he says: "They're starting the next series in a month, so I’m hoping to be in that. Everyone on Rivals was very, very nice. Alex [Hassell], who I did my scenes with, is an adorable man."
Being a part of the adaptation was also deeply poignant, given his friendship with the late author Dame Jilly Cooper. "It was lovely," he says. "Getting to know her was wonderful and we became really great friends. I thought: 'Oh, this is my new friend for a while,' and then she died, so it was very upsetting."
Whether he's on a TV set, lending a hand to keep his village pub afloat or visiting the nurses and families at Julia's House, Rupert's heart belongs to his local community.
"In times like these, we have to keep the community going," he says. "Julia's House is a shining example of what happens when people come together. It turns a horrible reality into something livable and brings hope where it’s needed most."
To learn more or donate to Julia’s House, visit juliashouse.org
