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24th April 2023
11:06am BST
Ryan Reynolds fulfilled the wish of a Wrexham fan with terminal cancer by meeting him and his family following the Welsh club's promotion.
Jay Fear, 45, was diagnosed with terminal appendix cancer in January, and met his hero Reynolds at the Racecourse Stadium after Wrexham's 3-1 win over Boreham Wood, a result which secured their return to the Football League for the first time since 2008.
The Deadpool actor, who owns the Welsh club along with Rob McElhenney, gifted Fear one of his Deadpool gloves and arranged for him to visit the set of the third film in the series.
Reynolds said he was "choked up" after meeting Fear, who he described as an "exceptional person."
He said: "It was amazing to meet Jay. I wonder if I'd have the same unwavering joy if our roles were reversed.
"He is an exceptional person and his family is wonderful. I got a little choked up talking to him and feeling how much his kids and wife are going to miss him."
The actor had promised to meet Fear after hearing that his dying wish was to see the Wrexham team and meet Reynolds.
Fear said he and his family would "remember it forever".
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "They always say you should never meet your idol and this guy is definitely an exception to that."
Reynolds spent "about 20 minutes" with the family, and invited Fear to Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire to visit the set of Deadpool 3.
Fear said that he told Reynolds he hoped to get to see Deadpool 3 which is scheduled to come out in November 2024.
Reynolds that said "well, we're filming in six weeks so why don't we get you guys up to London? Yeah, let's make that happen."
Fear went to the game on Saturday with his wife Deb, son Sam, 16, and daughter Jess, 18, and explained that he actually wanted the meet with Reynolds to happen for his family, so he could give them a memory they would "never forget."
He said: "People might think this whole thing was for me.
"Actually, this is for my family because they are the ones that are going to remember what happened for the rest of their lives. I just hope this is a core memory that they'll never forget."
Fear wasn't the only one Reynolds gave his time up for following the historic victory. During their time in charge of the club, Reynolds and McElhenney have set up a special section of the stadium for fans suffering from health problem, and Reynolds spent time with fans their after the game.
This included nine-year-old Caleb Webb, who has been seriously ill with Crohn's Disease, the Mirror reports.
His mum Stacey, 35, who also has the condition, said: “It is not the first time he (Ryan) has done it.
“I would say nine times out of ten he will always come over to the disabled section where the kids are.
“He will come and say hello and have a chat with them. Most of the kids don’t understand he is a famous Hollywood actor. They just see him as a friend.
“The first time he came over to Caleb he said ‘hello little man’ and bent down and chatted to him.”
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