Russell Crowe sent frantic messages to ex-wife Danielle Spencer as bushfires threatened to destroy the private chapel where they got married
- Russell Crowe's farm on the NSW north coast was hit by bushfires in November
- The 400-hectare property was largely saved but several cabins burned down
- The roof of the chapel where he married Danielle Spencer in 2003 was scorched
- Crowe skipped the Golden Globes in January when he won a TV acting award
Russell Crowe's ex-wife Danielle Spencer has told how the Hollywood star kept her constantly updated as a bushfire bore down on the northern New South Wales farm where they married in 2003.
Spencer, an actor, singer and songwriter, was with her father Don as fires threatened Crowe's 400-hectare Nana Glen property near Coffs Harbour in November last year.
As the pair anxiously watched vision of the inferno on screens back in Sydney, Crowe sent a series of messages about what was happening at the property.
'Everyone has their stories and far, far worse than ours, but it was horrible to watch,' 50-year-old Spencer told the Wentworth Courier.
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Russell Crowe's ex-wife Danielle Spencer has told how the Hollywood star kept her updated as a bushfire bore down on the north coast farm where they married in 2003. The couple is pictured arriving at The Star casino in 2011
Bushfires tore through Nana Glen where Russell Crowe owns 400 hectares in November last year. Firefighters are pictured as smoke darkens the horizon
This chapel on Crowe's Nana Glen property was built for his wedding to actor and singer Danielle Spencer in 2003. It's roof was badly damaged in the fires that burned through the area in November
'We were watching it very closely. It was nerve-wracking. Russell was sending me updates like, 'This is burning, that's burning, now it's coming up in the background'.
'It would have been very, very, very sad if the farm had burned.
'They lost a couple of little cabins - luckily none of the main buildings were burnt aside from the roof of the wedding chapel where we got married... that got burnt, but because it's a copper roof it survived.'
Crowe's parents and other family members who live at Nana Glen had to be evacuated.
Spencer and Crowe's sons Charles, 17, and Tennyson, 14, were relieved the property survived the blaze.
'The boys are okay because most of the main buildings are intact,' Spencer said.
Spencer and her father, a longtime Play School host, will take part in a charity concert at Mary's Underground - formerly The Basement - in Sydney on March 18.
Danielle Spencer, in second black car, leaves a Coffs Harbour hotel on her way to Russell Crowe's Nana Glen property for their wedding on April 7, 2003
Crowe regularly posted pictures of the fires burning in and around his north coast property
The pair will perform with other singers including David Campbell and Tim Freedman to raise funds for children impacted by the bushfires and drought.
Spencer, who is in the studio working on two projects including an 'alternative atmospheric pop' album, told the Wentworth Courier that Charles and Tennyson were also musical.
Charles was writing song lyrics while Tennyson loved listening to music, although he had to learn to play the oboe last year and 'detested' it.
The boys' father was overseas where he first found out on November 13 his property was under threat.
The actor shared photos of the aftermath sent to to him by his family, showing ash-covered ground and scorched trees, along with the charred remains of fixtures and equipment, including a horse trailer.
'Lost a couple of buildings, but overall very lucky so far,' Crowe tweeted at the time. 'Chapel roof scorched. Deepest thanks to everyone on the ground. Some fires still burning and we are out of water. No livestock deaths to date. Horses ok.'
Crowe and Spencer are parents to sons Tennyson (left) and Charles (right). The family is pictured at Crowe's induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April 2010
Crowe returned to Australia and chose not to attend the 77th Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles on January 5 as bushfires continued to ravage the country.
The 55-year-old won best actor in a limited series or TV movie for his role as Fox News boss Roger Ailes in miniseries The Loudest Voice.
In his absence, Friends star Jennifer Aniston read a powerful message about climate change Crowe had sent from Australia.
The statement read: 'Make no mistake. The tragedy unfolding in Australia is climate change-based. We need to act based on science, move our global workforce to renewable energy and respect our planet for the unique and amazing place it is.'
Crowe regularly updated his fans on the fires via social media. His own firefighting efforts included modifying a banged-up old Ford F1 into a makeshift fire truck.
The 55-year-old shared a photo of the truck to Instagram, telling followers he had 're-purposed' the vehicle in order to help his neighbours.
Crowe also posted videos of him working on cleaning up the farm.
Crowe posted these before and after pictures of his farm on Twitter in one of his regular updates on how bushfires had affected his property
There were claims from distraught Nana Glen locals at the time of the blazes that fire crews rushed to Crowe's property first and left other homes to burn, which the Rural Fire Service described as nonsense.
Crowe's niece Chelsea Crowe, who also lives on his property, angrily set the record straight in a public Facebook post.
'Unfortunately, there is a lot of gossip... going around that fire crews abandoned properties in favour to protect Russell's home,' Chelsea posted.
'If you look at a map and knew the boundary lines the entire property is backed by Tallawudjah and the state forest. Whilst they moved to crews to a previously scouted vantage point to attack it as it came through the ridge.
'This move was not to protect his buildings in particular. It wouldn't have mattered who lived there.'
Crowe first bought land at Nana Glen in 1999 before later expanding his property to include nine surrounding lots.
He got together with Spencer when they co-starred in The Crossing in 1989 and the couple had an on-again, off-again relationship for years. The separated in 2012 and divorced in 2018.
These images posted by Crowe on Instagram show his Nana Glen property before and after bushfires swept through the region
