POPSUGAR UK

Ellen DeGeneres Was Moved to Tears By Wife Portia de Rossi's Profound Birthday Gift

04/02/2018 - 01:00 PM

Ellen DeGeneres [1] recently celebrated her 60th birthday on the set of her widely beloved talk show. The star-studded episode featured appearances by Michelle Obama [2], Jimmy Kimmel, Chance the Rapper, and more. While the talk show host was touched by her guests's many kind words and gifts, the most emotional moment naturally came when her wife, Portia de Rossi [3], surprised her.

Portia appeared on the show to give Ellen her birthday gift and the second she turned the corner, Ellen was already emotional. "This gift had to be really special and it had to represent who you are and what you really care about — not just now but what you've always cared about," Portia said.

Portia then revealed a little-known fact about her wife: Ellen's longtime hero is Dian Fossey, a conservationist who specialised in gorilla research up until her tragic murder in 1985. In honour of Ellen's admiration of Dian, Portia established The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda. The campus will serve as a centre for tourism, education, and scientific research. In addition, Portia also set up The Ellen DeGeneres Wildlife Fund.

Through tears, Ellen said, "It's the best gift." Adding, "When we got married, Portia's line was, 'It's good to be loved. It's profound to be understood.' She understands me because that is the best gift that anybody could have given me."


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.co.uk/celebrity/Portia-de-Rossi-60th-Birthday-Present-Ellen-DeGeneres-44548402