Getty Valerie Cearley is the mother of "Avengers" actor Jeremy Renner. He is renovating a condo for his mom on "Celebrity IOU."
Valerie Cearley is the mother of Avengers actor Jeremy Renner. He is renovating a condo for his mom on Celebrity IOU.
Renner, who took his mother to the Oscars in 2010, is moving Cearley from Modesto, California, to Los Angeles so she can live five hours closer to her children and grandchildren. Renner bought the condo for his mother, and while it has plenty of potential it needs a lot of work. The dated walls are lined with mirrors and there are parquet floors.
Jonathan and Drew Scott were looking forward to working with “mama’s boy” Renner, who has revamped 25 homes. “He plays the tough characters but he’s a sweet dude at heart,” Drew said. “He’s a manly, rugged, strong sweet dude.”
Cearley couldn’t wait to be closer to her children and grandchildren. “Moving to L.A. and watching my grandchildren grow up instead of just receiving a video or a picture is the best thing in the world to me,” she said.
To find out more about Renner and how the renovation for his mother’s new home went, continue reading below for five fast facts:
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1. Cearley Is the ‘Rock’ of the Family
Renner’s mother is the one who holds the family together. “She’s the rock of the family and she deserves it,” the actor said about fixing his mother’s condo. “She wants to be around all the grandkids and I think this place is perfect for her.”
“She’s given her life to us so we really want to take care of her,” the star continued. “Her whole life has been committed to all of her kids and now her grandkids.”
Cearley had Renner when she was a teenager. “My mom means everything to me. She’s given me everything and she sacrificed everything,” he said. “She’s showed me so many things by having my brothers and sisters after me and made me a better parent. All the things she’s sacrificed was always for us–for us kids.”
2. Renner Gets His Tough Look From His Mom
Renner might be best known as the superhero from The Avengers, but some of that might have to do with his mother. Renner joked his loving mother will “hurt you” if you call her grandma, because she thinks it sounds old. She prefers “Mee-Maw.”
“She has this beautiful loving core on the inside, but she’s got this murderous resting face, but I made a career out of it. Because I have one too,” he said. “I got it from her. It can seem really cold but it’s the last thing she is because she’s really warm. She’s always got your back. She’s a rock. She’s always on your side. She’s such a beautiful person.”
3. Renner Brought His Mother as His Date to the 2010 Oscars
When Renner found out he was nominated for an Oscar for The Hurt Locker, he knew he wanted his mother to be his date. “I was so proud of that boy. I’m lucky,” she said.
Renner agreed: “It was a proud moment for me and my mom.”
At the big event, Renner helped his mom stay relaxed. “He keeps me calm. I’m the nervous one. He’s been to [award shows] before. I haven’t. It’s crazy!” Cearley told People magazine at the time. “It’s just been the most amazing thing.”
4. Cearley Was Shocked By the ‘Fancy’ Renovation
Cearley was surprised by the “fancy” fix-up. During the five weeks it took to renovate the 1979 condo, she was staying at Renner’s house and didn’t have a clue what the Property Brothers were up to.
“I thought I was in the wrong house,” she said about when Renner first brought her in. “I have no words. He fooled me.”
She was thrilled to be living in Los Angeles. “My life has come full circle now. I can have all my grandchildren here, my children here,” Cearley said. “We can make so many memories. I couldn’t be happier.”
Renner was just as happy to give back to his mother. “My heart is full already and to bring pure joy and love to someone–especially my mama– there’s no better feeling than that,” he said.
5. Cearley Loved The Kitchen Most
One of the things Cearley loves to do is have her family over. With her new kitchen, she’ll be able to entertain her children and grandkids–and even bake them the perfect cakes.
She took a special baking class so she could learn how to make her children beautiful cakes for their birthdays. She was thrilled with how the kitchen–which is both functional and beautiful–came out.
“The kitchen was probably the worst room in this house,” Cearley said, unable to believe it was the same home. “Really! This kitchen is so big. It was so small and so cramped. I just don’t even know what to say.” She loved the two-toned cabinets and porcelain counter.
“I am feeling so incredibly grateful for all the work that Jeremy, Drew and Scott did and it’s such a beautiful home now,” she said. “It’s gonna be so wonderful to move in here. I can’t wait.”
Don’t miss Celebrity IOU when it airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on HGTV.
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