5 of the most secret charitable stars ever

6 June 2019, 13:05 | Updated: 5 September 2019, 15:19

Most celebrities use their star power for good, and help raise millions of pounds for various charitable causes.

But not all of them do this without making a big song and dance about the fact. There are some stars who prefer to keep a low profile while helping to raise funds for projects and people who are dear to their hearts.

Here are some such stars who have been rather awesome over the years:

1. George Michael constantly helped countless people in secret

   

   We could be here all day if we listed all the acts of kindness George Michael carried out during his life. In fact, we already did.

   Read more: George Michael's secret acts of astounding generosity revealed after death

   Not only did he secretly donate sales of some of his songs to charity, but he also often worked undercover at homeless shelters and once gave a stranger £25,000 to cover their debt after overhearing her conversation.

   Another lovely moment happened when he a woman who appeared on Deal or No Deal was given £15,000 by an "anonymous donor" after she talked on air about her reasons for applying for the TV show.

   Lynette Gillard appeared on the game show with the hope of winning enough money to fund her IVF treatment. George Michael had been watching the show and secretly called Channel 4 call the next day, offering to cover the whole cost.

2. Keanu Reeves has been secretly donating millions to children's hospitals for years

   

   Keanu Reeves is known for being one of the nicest actors in the business, but his acts of generosity are quite surprising.

   The John Wick star runs a private charitable foundation that aims to help positive projects like cancer research and kids' hospital wards. However, he hardly ever speaks about it.

   "I have a private foundation that's been running for five or six years, and it helps aid a couple of children's hospitals and cancer research," Keanu said in a Ladies Home Journal article from 2009.

   "I don't like to attach my name to it, I just let the foundation do what it does."

   Keanu's sister Kim was diagnosed with leukaemia in the 1990s before it went into remission. He's also known to take calls from the public during charity telethons to help raise funds to beat cancer.

   Not only that, but he also bought his mum a house, bought Harley Davidsons for stunt crews on The Matrix, and took pay cuts so his films could hire other big name actors.

3. Taylor Swift secretly donated $4,000 to help out a homeless fan

   

   Taylor Swift is known for being possibly the most charitable star around.

   When several people died and 146,000 homes were destroyed in flooding in Louisiana, she donated $1 million, and a further $50,000 to a food bank in Baton Rouge.

   She also donated $100,000 to those affected by Tennessee wildfires, $5,000 to a fan who'd lost her sister in a car accident, and a large amount to an African parks charity on World Elephant Day.

   And that's just a couple of examples.

   Also known for treating her fans whenever she can, she is said to have heard about the plight of superfan Brandon, who set up a GoFundMe page after being cut off by his family.

   Taylor was then widely believed to have donated $4,000 to his cause, after three donations popped up, using the initials 'TS', 'MGS' and 'OBS' (the latter referring to her cats Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson).

   I DON’T KNOW HOW I WILL EVER THANK YOU ENOUGH OR PAY YOU BACK ENOUGH BUT I AM BY YOUR SIDE FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓

   — Brandon (@thebrandon907) October 10, 2014

   While it was never 100% confirmed this was Taylor, Brandon and pretty much everyone else was pretty convinced, and we wouldn't be surprised.

4. Prince quietly helped families all the time

   

   After Prince's death, stories of his many behind-the-scenes charity work started to be talked about.

   Civil rights leader Rev Al Sharpton tweeted to describe him as a "sincere humanitarian", and revealed how Prince would often give him money to give quietly to others, such as the family of killed teenager Trayvon Martin.

   He also donated a quarter of a million to help solar power startups, to an organisation helping struggling families in South Carolina.

   The singer also gave one million dollars to a Harlem non-profit organisation for inner-city children living in poverty.

5. Elvis Presley kept giving random people Cadillacs

   

   This all began when Elvis had his first hit in 1955, and immediately bought a Cadillac for his mother, despite the fact that she couldn't drive.

   In 1975, Elvis also gave a Cadillac to one of his backup singers, and then he couldn't stop himself.

   His dentist soon got one, followed by his jeweler, his hairstylist, and his valet.

   Later that year, Elvis went to a showroom at Madison Cadillac in Memphis, and proceeded to buy 13 Cadillacs to be handed out to any people who worked for him.

   A bank teller named Mennie Person was looking at his Cadillac limousine outside the store, so Elvis apparently went up to her and asked, "Like it? I'll buy you one." He asked the salesman to add it to the list, meaning he spent $140,000 in one go, which was a LOT at the time.

   Now, that's how a King should behave to his people.