McConaughey's mother thinks he's God's gift

Matthew McConaughey's mother has adorably described him as "a gift from God".

The Dallas Buyers Club star and his wife Camila founded the Just Keep Livin Foundation, which aims to empower high-school age students.

While the 45-year-old was happy to give his charity such a relaxed name, he insists on using the formal version of his own moniker, never settling for the abbreviation Matt. When he was quizzed about the decision during an interview with ABC, his mother Mary jumped in to provide the answer.

“We were in the hospital and my husband and I could not agree on a name,” she explained. “And I said, ‘I’ll tell you what we’re going to do: We’re going to go to the Bible.’ So we go to the New Testament, open it up, boom, there’s ‘Matthew.’ It was right there in front of me.

“So I said, ‘OK, we’re going to call him Matthew. And that means ‘Gift of God.’ He was a gift because I wasn’t supposed to have any more children. And boom! He appeared 16 years later. Isn’t that a great story?”

Matthew and his mum are known for having a close relationship, with the Oscar-winner adorably nicknaming her KMac in reference to her middle name Kathleen.

He often takes her along to red-carpet events and is happy to share anecdotes about her during interviews.

During a stint on The Tonight Show last year, Matthew revealed to host Jimmy Fallon how is mum would always make him feel like a winner - even when he wasn't.

Specifically, he recalled growing up believing he'd been awarded the Little Mr. Texas title as a kid, as there was a picture showing him holding a trophy. However, aged 39, he finally clocked it was a runner-up trophy and proceeded to ask Mary about it.

She replied that the child who won was very rich and had bought a three-piece suit for the contest - which in her books counts as cheating.