Audrey Hepburn's son is sharing details of his mother’s past in a tell-all interview. Speaking with Fox News, Sean Hepburn Ferrer recounted what it was like growing up with a film star who survived the war, navigated a life of fame, and suffered heartache after miscarriage.
Hepburn is a Hollywood icon of the 50s and 60s, but her life was not all glitz and glamour. She came from poverty. During World War II things were so bad that Hepburn was forced to eat Tulip bulbs, dog cookies, and green pea bread, Ferrer revealed. What got her through the hard times were her dreams of a better life.
"She dreamed about ballet. She dreamed about what would happen when the war was over — when the war would be over. It was her dreams that kept her going," he said. "She would stay in bed because there was little to eat and no heating. So you preserved your calories. She would then read the few books she had, these fairy tales. She would dream of what her life would be like after the war."
Hepburn never forgot her humble beginnings, even at the height of her career.
"She never behaved like a movie star. She was a normal person who lived a simple life," Ferrer recounted. "She watched her spending like anyone else. We had a good education, but we didn’t walk away feeling better than anybody else. That was always important to her."
Looking back on his own childhood and how Hepburn raised him, Ferrera added that he believed his mother was reliving her past in bringing him up. She would make sure he was dressed, fed, and completing his homework. She also held on to the joy of having her own family, even through the pain of miscarriage.
"She lost a couple of pregnancies before me. It was sort of this great healing for her to finally have a child," Ferrera said. "She lost my little sister before me, almost six months into the pregnancy. It was very, very hard for her. She said it was one of the hardest things she ever had to go through. Being a mother brought her great joy in life. Whenever you see a photograph of her with her children — or any child for that matter — you can immediately feel her joy, even today."
Hepburn passed away in 1993 at age 63 from cancer, following an illustrious career that cemented her name in film history. News of her death left the world in mourning. Ferrera recalled seeing over 25,000 people lining the streets of where they lived on the day of her funeral. His own grief came later.
"I remember [after she died] I opened up the old projector and hung a sheet in the attic and watched her films at night. That full realization came after she passed away," he said. "Not only did she represent inner and outer beauty and elegance, but all the work she did at the end of her life touched so many people. She created this extraordinary legacy."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.