Let’s talk about Audrey Hepburn, one of Hollywood’s most beloved icons. Despite her dazzling career and timeless charm, Audrey carried deep emotional scars from her childhood. As she grew older, however, the star of Breakfast at Tiffany’s transformed her pain into a powerful purpose that made her truly proud, according to her loved ones who spoke exclusively with Closer Weekly.
Retreating to Simplicity
Fast forward to the late 1960s, and Audrey had created her own sanctuary—a Swiss farmhouse she affectionately named "La Paisible," which translates to "Peaceful" in French. This place became her haven, a retreat where she could escape the spotlight and embrace simplicity. "She would pick fruit to make jams, take her dogs for long runs in the fields, enjoy a glass of whiskey at 5:00 p.m., and cook up some delicious pasta," recalls her son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, who’s now 60 years old. In the latest issue of Closer, he paints a vivid picture of his mother’s peaceful life. "The secret to her happiness was simple and unpretentious," Sean shares warmly.
Chasing True Love
For Audrey, being adored by millions worldwide wasn’t the ultimate goal. What she truly craved was the kind of unconditional love that could fill the void she had carried since childhood. "Being idolized by the world didn’t matter to her as much as finding genuine, unconditional love," explains Helena Coan, the director of the new documentary Audrey: More Than an Icon, in an interview with Closer. Audrey constantly reinvented herself, driven by her relentless search for love. This quest became the foundation of her personal growth and resilience.
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Her journey wasn’t easy. At the tender age of six, Audrey and her mother, Ella, were abandoned by her father, Joseph, who held Fascist sympathies. "When she was a child, she really looked up to him," Emma Ferrer, Audrey’s granddaughter, tells Closer. The loss left a deep scar, one that would shape Audrey’s life for years to come.
A Childhood Shaped by War
Four years later, Audrey and her mother found themselves trapped in the Netherlands during the German invasion. The war years were brutal, filled with hunger and despair. "In the final winter of the war, there was no food and no oil for heat. They had to make bread from peas and even resorted to eating tulip bulbs," Sean recalls in his moving account. Alongside his wife, Karin Hofer, Sean has dramatized Audrey’s childhood struggles in their new children’s book, Little Audrey’s Daydream: The Life of Audrey Hepburn, offering a poignant glimpse into her early years.
But Audrey’s story didn’t end there. After the war, a chance encounter led to her casting in Gigi, a play in London’s West End. By 1953, she had already starred in Roman Holiday, earning a Best Actress Oscar and cementing her status as a Hollywood legend. Yet, even stardom couldn’t erase the deep melancholy she carried within her. "She once said that her father leaving made her insecure for life," Helena Coan reveals.
