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Audrey Hepburn was known for her slender figure throughout her life in the spotlight
Her son Sean Hepburn Ferrer, who, along with co-author Wendy Holden, penned her authorized biography, Intimate Audrey, dispels the idea that Hepburn engaged in disordered eating
Ferrer talks about the actress’s diet and how her feelings on beauty and aging were consistent throughout her life
Audrey Hepburn kept a particular diet, but she didn’t have an unhealthy or obsessive relationship with food, according to her son.
The rumors surrounding what it took for the slender star to keep and maintain her figure throughout her life were plentiful, but Sean Hepburn Ferrer, the elder of Hepburn’s two sons, and co-author Wendy Holden, dispelled them in their biography of the late actress, Intimate Audrey: An Authorized Biography.
Detailing her usual meals, Ferrer wrote, “Despite decades of gossip that she had an eating disorder because she was so slim, she cooked and baked and ate what she liked but was careful with portions.”
“She started most days with a boiled egg, toast and jam,” he noted, which she’d then follow with a walk “at a punishing pace for those of us trailing behind.”
Audrey Hepburn cuts cake after filming ‘Roman Holiday’
Credit: Reg Burkett/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty
“For lunch, she’d have a salad or a soup, a sandwich and a scoop of her favorite vanilla ice cream with maple syrup. She drank the occasional cold beer, and after her daily nap, she’d have a square of dark chocolate — her ‘cure for the blues,’ followed by a ‘finger’ of whisky when the sun set,” he continued.
“Supper would be a single plate of pasta pomodoro and a salad,” he recalled. Hepburn also had a love for chocolate cake, developing her own flourless recipe.
Ferrer noted that while Hepburn, who died in 1993 at age 63, would do a monthly detox for a day or two, she “eschewed all thoughts of fad diets,” adding, “Any suggestion of plastic surgery was anathema to her, as she honored the history of every line on her face.”
The star’s son recalled the time when John Isaac shot photos of Hepburn during a UNICEF trip and sent her the photos, offering to clean up the lines on the actress’ face. She replied, “Don’t you dare touch any one of those wrinkles; I earned every single one of them.”
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Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in ‘Roman Holiday’
Credit: Getty
While speaking about the biography to Woman’s World in April, Ferrer spoke about another major beauty of the time: Marilyn Monroe.
Ferrer said he understands why Monroe turned down the opportunity to star in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which would become one of Hepburn’s defining performances, pointing to how closely the character of Holly Golightly mirrored Monroe.
Truman Capote, who wrote the original novella, had drawn inspiration from the blonde bombshell — something Ferrer believes may have made the role less appealing.
Audrey Hepburn in March 1992
Credit: Vinnie Zuffante/Getty
“I can understand why Marilyn said no, because she probably felt like she was going to be playing herself,” Ferrer told the outlet. “It’s not very interesting, but if you take someone like Audrey Hepburn, which is the last thing you expect her to do, it’s going to create something completely new. And I think it worked.”
Intimate Audrey: An Authorized Biography is now available wherever books are sold.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, The Alliance for Eating Disorders provides a fully staffed helpline at 1-866-662-1235, as well as free, therapist-led support groups.
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