Rosario Dawson Gets Choked Up While Surprising Her Best Friend Who’s ‘Like Family’ with a Home Remodel (Exclusive)

PEOPLE got an exclusive first look at the ‘Ahsoka’ actress’ touching renovation for her friend of 25 years on Monday’s episode of ‘Celebrity IOU’

Rosario Dawson is showing her gratitude for her best friend who she’s known since she was 19 years old.

On Monday’s all-new episode of Celebrity IOU, the Ahsoka star, 44, surprises her longtime friend of over two decades, Sal, with a heartfelt home makeover. PEOPLE got an exclusive first look, above, at the upcoming episode in which Dawson gets a little help from Drew and Jonathan Scott to transform Sal’s living and dining room.

Before the actress and the twin brothers arrive at Sal’s house to surprise him, Dawson explains that Sal, who is a costume designer, took her in when she moved to Los Angeles from New York City at age 19 and helped her find her own personal style.

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“You know how much I love you,” she tells Sal in the above clip. “I don’t know if I could ever tell you how much it’s meant to me that you let me stay with you when I first came out here, and you drove me to my auditions, you helped me with my wardrobe, made sure I was taken care of. You made my family feel like it was okay and safe for me to be out here on my own.”

After she tells Sal that she’s paying his kindness forward and giving him the elevated home he’s always wanted, she then gets to work alongside the brothers to make the home feel a little less “grandma,” as Sal puts it, and a little more modern.

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Once the remodel is unveiled, both Sal and Dawson start to get choked up while reflecting on their meaningful years of friendship.

“I remember meeting you and then your mom, and we were all instant family. Your mom said to watch out for my little girl,” Sal tells Dawson with tears in his eyes. “You were like my sister from day one. There are very few people in life that stay in your life. You’re my family.”

Related: Regina Hall Surprises Friend of 15 Years with Home Makeover to Protect Health of Her Daughter (Exclusive)

During an exclusive interview with Drew and Jonathan Scott in December, Drew told PEOPLE how inspiring it was to see Dawson “knocking down walls” and fully committing to the renovation process to create something special for her friend.

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“You don't get to see these celebrities the way we showcase them outside of their shows or on stage,” he says.

Jonathan adds that it’s touching to watch these A-list celebrities “jump in and do something that they have no experience doing. They don't say no because they want to show their gratitude for how much these people have done for them.”

Celebrity IOU airs on HGTV every Monday at 8 p.m. ET.

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