Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds has swapped the glitz and glamour of New York for life in a tiny Welsh village - and who can blame him.
He has set up home just a ten minute drive from the stadium where his beloved football team Wrexham AFC play.
And if the North Wales club clinches a fairytale promotion to the football league on Saturday the Deadpool actor will be toasting success with the locals who have taken him to their hearts.
Ryan and his close pal Rob McElhenney, star of the TV show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, have become Welsh heroes since buying the non-league outfit in 2020.
And Ryan has been so overwhelmed by the welcome, he has splashed out £1.5million on a place to stay when he makes the 3,000 mile journey across the Atlantic to watch The Red Dragons.
The picturesque village of Marford, north of Wrexham and close to the Welsh-English border, may not have the sights and sounds of Manhattan, which is 50 miles from his home in Pound Ridge, New York State.
But the area has everything he, his film star wife Blake Lively, and their four children could ever need, at a fraction of the price they would pay Stateside.
Blake has previously confessed her addiction to NYC’s Sprinkles Cupcakes.
But she will find plenty of tasty treats in Gerrard’s bakery just a mile up the road from Marford in nearby Gresford.
Gerrard’s is the oldest bakery in Wales, owning shops throughout the North of the country and is a six-generation family business, running since 1838.
Its current owner Dawn Van Rensburg said: “I think it’s brilliant news that they’re buying a house here and it’s about time people recognised what a wonderful place Wrexham is. We really appreciate everything they’ve done to put us on the map.”
“We’re definitely hoping Blake will make a visit to Gerrard’s and we’re sure that we can tempt her with a few things like freshly made local Welsh cakes and some pastries for the little ones.”
Gresford also boasts a Spar and Subway and if Ryan and Blake fancy working off a few pounds sampling Gerrard’s wares, a membership at the nearby Total Fitness gym in Wrexham costs just £33 a month, compared the £5,000 a year it costs at the members-only gym Drive495 in Manhattan she has used.
In the US Pound Ridge Town Park boasts a serene lake and of course New York city has the world famous central park.
But Marford has the Maes y Plant nature reserve and the beauty and splendour of Snowdonia is just a short hop away, as is the stunning North Wales coastline.
But of course what many visitors from across the pond love when they visit the UK is our pubs.
And The Turf, the watering hole made famous by ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ the TV documentary about Ryan and Rob’s takeover of the club, is the place to celebrate after the game.
Bartender Katherine said visitors have been flocking to the pub to sample Aviation Gin, which is part-owned and promoted by Reynolds and is now out of stock after it featured in the TV programme.
She said: “We can’t get our hands on it anymore because the turnover was too quick. Everyone loved it.”
The impact Ryan, 46, and Rob, 45, have made on the area led to them being given the freedom of Wrexham earlier this month.
On the pitch, the A-listers' influence has led the men's team to the brink of promotion to the Football League.
A win this weekend before a sell out home crowd against Boreham Wood would see them clinch the National League title and both Ryan and Rob are expected to be at the game.
Away from football, the pair's presence has been credited with revitalising the city.
Steve Mackreth, an ex-Wrexham player who’s lived in the area for 72 years, said: “The whole place is buzzing now, there’s all sorts of people coming over.
“We’ve now got city status and had the King and Queen turn up. It isn’t often that happens.
“We went to sleep as a town and woke up as a city.”
