Audrey Hepburn’s Son Reveals Her WWII Malnutrition: Star Weighed Just 88 Lbs., Was ‘Very Close to Death’

Resurfaced comments from Audrey Hepburn‘s son are shedding new light on how the malnutrition his mother suffered during World War II impacted her life and ultimately stunted her dream of becoming a dancer.

The Belgium-born British and Dutch actress was just a teenager when she was living in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II. She and other survivors were ultimately liberated in 1945.

In a look back at her condition all those decades ago, her younger son, Luca Dotti, revealed just how malnourished she was in the 2019 book Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II, written by Robert Matzen.

“She was very close to death,” Dotti wrote in the introduction to Dutch Girl, per People. “A lot of people around her died, many died from lack of food.”

“She was almost 5′ 6″ and weighed 88 pounds,” Dotti added. “She had jaundice and edema. She suffered from anemia the rest of her life, possibly as a consequence.”

According to Matzen, Hepburn and her family were forced to live in a cellar for weeks at a time with very little food due to bombing during the war.

Meanwhile, Hepburn’s older son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, released the book Intimate Audrey, with coauthor Wendy Holden, earlier this year. In it, Ferrer shared what his mother’s diet was like later in life.

“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. She walked every day, setting a punishing pace for those of us trailing behind,” Ferrer wrote.

Ferrer added that the late Oscar winner would often eat “salad or a soup” or a sandwich for lunch, along with a “scoop of her favorite vanilla ice cream with maple syrup,” per People.

“She drank the occasional 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. Supper would be a single plate of pasta pomodoro and a salad,” he added.

Ferrer told People that losing muscle mass due to malnutrition in the war stunted her dreams of being a dancer.

“She wanted to be a dancer and she worked hard at it, and it got stolen by lack of nutrition and training during the war,” he told the outlet.