The boys who won Ellen's heart

Dailius and Julian Wilson won talk show host Ellen DeGeneres’ heart so she gave them a gift that helped their whole family.

Armed with handmade “We Love Ellen” T-shirts, placards, passports and some basic necessities, Dailius and Julian Wilson camped overnight at the Sydney Opera House for the chance to meet their idol Ellen DeGeneres in LA. “We’ve been watching Ellen since primary school,” says Julian, 19. “She’s always enthusiastic, she is such a nice person and she’s always giving. That is probably her best attribute.”

Despite that, the Sydney brothers never expected they would be on the receiving end of “Ellen the generous”. As Julian describes it, “This is like a dream come true.” Dailius, 21, can’t wipe the smile off his face, either, saying, “It is the best thing that’s happened to us.”

It began with a cryptic tweet from Ellen, 55, in LA, telling her Aussie fans to be at the iconic Sydney landmark for a live cross from the set of her talk show, with their passports and bags in hand. Hopefuls were asked to write and perform an operatic song for Ellen and much to their surprise, the brothers’ effort caught her eye. While the grand prize went to Carly Heading, 23, and her pal Jennifer Kenyon, 21, Dailius and Julian’s amusing operatic plea put such a smile on Ellen’s face that she couldn’t resist surprising them with tickets to LA, too.

When Woman’s Day caught up with the brothers the next day, they were still pinching themselves. “It is so surreal… it still hasn’t sunk in,” Julian says. “It’s amazing.” The news couldn’t have come at a better time for their family. “Our dad [Mark] got ill about a year-and-a-half ago,” Julian reveals. “He had a brain tumour the size of a cricket ball,” Dailius adds. “It’s been hard but we’re getting through it. Our mum [Belinda] is so strong and keeps the family together.”