A WORLDWIDE Wrestling star paid a visit to Robert Burns place of birth as he enjoyed a special homecoming.

Drew McIntyre one of the biggest names in WWE visited the iconic Burns Cottage and museum dedicated to Scotland’s national bard.

The 34-year-old who now lives in the US, grew up in Prestwick and took a break from the recent World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) tour in Europe, which includes a three-night run in Dubai.

Drew’s wrestling persona draws on his heritage and he has been known to fly the Saltire during huge events. And the star spoke about his love of growing up near Burns birthplace.

Drew said: “I am excited to be back home, especially being here at Burns Cottage.”

“This is the kind of place we used to visit when I was growing up, but I never really appreciated it. When you go to America, you are longing to come back home, and this is exciting for me.”

The 262-year-old cottage and modern museum has become a place of pilgrimage for Scottish expatriates and fans of the Bard’s work from all over the world. Research, published on January 10 by Glasgow University and launched at the cottage, revealed that Burns is worth £203million annually to the Scottish economy.

The cottage closed for vital repairs during winter but re-opened on Sunday, January 18 and will remain open to visitors until February 3.

Proud Scot, Drew wants to see Scotland’s heritage sites protected after hearing of the National Trusts work to preserve the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum.

He said: “It’s so important that everyone in Scotland knows how important our heritage is and just how much the rest of the world admires our history.

“If you’re from Scotland you should be damn proud to be Scottish, I know I am, and I appreciate what the National Trust for Scotland are doing. So, let’s keep Scotland’s history alive.”

Museum staff said they were ‘excited’ to have Drew visit and were happy to serve him up a traditional Burns Supper as a ‘mid-morning’ snack.

Caroline Smith, Operations Manager at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum said: “We love to welcome all visitors to Robert Burns Birthplace Museum but to have Drew visit added a bit of extra excitement.

“It was really interesting to meet Drew, who obviously has a strong local connection and has this genuine affection not only for Robert Burns but for his works.

“It was a pleasure for the staff to meet him,”

Caroline added. “He was very friendly and took the time to speak to everyone. And we did our best to keep him going on food. He started off with a full breakfast and had haggis, neeps and tatties for his mid-morning snack.”