Audrey Hepburn, a global icon celebrated for her grace and timeless beauty in films like Roman Holiday, My Fair Lady, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, harbored a profound personal longing: to be a mother to a large family. This deeply cherished desire, however, was repeatedly met with heartbreak, as revealed in a new biography by her son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer. The book, Intimate Audrey, sheds light on the star’s struggles with miscarriages and the alleged role her first husband, Mel Ferrer, played in her emotional turmoil.

A Mother’s Unfulfilled Dream

Hepburn’s journey to motherhood was fraught with difficulty. Her first miscarriage occurred in March 1955, just six months into her marriage to actor and director Mel Ferrer, who was twelve years her senior. Sean Hepburn Ferrer recounts his mother’s devastation, noting that his father’s immediate response was to immerse her in work, a strategy she believed was meant to distract her from her profound loss.

Four years later, while filming The Unforgiven, Hepburn experienced a glimmer of hope when she discovered she was pregnant again. This pregnancy, however, ended tragically six months in. Her son writes that she was informed the baby was a girl, whom she had planned to name Maria. This loss was particularly profound, feeling like the death of a person rather than a fetus, a pain that lingered throughout her life. The experience intensified her fear that she might never be able to carry a child to term.

Against the odds, Hepburn became pregnant a third time and successfully carried the baby to term, giving birth to Sean on July 17, 1960. This birth marked the realization of her lifelong dream of motherhood.

Allegations of Cruelty and Control

While the public perception was that Mel Ferrer had fulfilled Hepburn’s deepest wish by fathering her child, Sean Hepburn Ferrer presents a different narrative. He alleges that his father harbored reservations about having more children, partly due to his existing four children from previous marriages and his ambitions for his and Hepburn’s acting careers. According to Ferrer Jr., his father believed that taking time off for childbirth was not conducive to their professional plans.

Sean Hepburn Ferrer claims that his mother believed Mel Ferrer’s actions, though perhaps subconscious, were aimed at preventing her from carrying pregnancies to term. He describes a pattern where, upon confirmation of a pregnancy, his father would initiate demanding activities such as moving house or extensive travel. Hepburn would reportedly quip to friends that as soon as a pregnancy test was positive, her husband would ask for help with tasks like lifting boxes of books. Given her history of miscarriages, such strenuous activities were counterproductive to the rest and care recommended during pregnancy, especially in the final trimester.

Marital Strife and a Painful Separation

The union between Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer was marked by volatility. A turning point, according to their son, came when Hepburn realized their constant arguments were affecting their son, Sean. She was reportedly mortified to witness Sean tiptoeing past his father’s room and speaking in hushed tones to avoid his outbursts, leading her to decide to leave the marriage.

The couple separated unofficially in the early 1960s. During a brief reconciliation attempt at the end of 1965, Hepburn became pregnant again. This pregnancy, however, resulted in an ectopic pregnancy and another miscarriage. Sean Hepburn Ferrer claims his father was unsympathetic, opting for minor surgery instead of comforting his grieving wife, leaving her feeling abandoned.

The divorce proceedings began in 1966, with the public announcement made the following year. Hepburn confided in friends that she had endured “two years in hell,” describing it as the worst period of her life. Despite the immense pain and alleged insensitivity from her husband, she maintained in later years that his actions were thoughtless rather than deliberately malicious, suggesting his own past marital difficulties might have influenced his behavior.

A Second Marriage and a Desperate Act

In the mid-1960s, while on an Aegean cruise, Hepburn met and fell in love with Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti. They married, and in February 1970, they welcomed their son, Luca. However, this marriage was also plagued by Dotti’s infidelity.

The emotional toll of Dotti’s affairs became so severe that Hepburn reportedly took an overdose of sleeping pills. Her maid discovered her with an empty pill bottle, and a teenage Sean watched as his mother was rushed to the hospital for a stomach-pumping procedure. Upon her return, Hepburn explained to her son that she had not intended to end her life but had desperately sought to numb her overwhelming pain, overmedicating with Mogadon. Sean Hepburn Ferrer states he believed her explanation.

Later Life and Humanitarian Work

Hepburn experienced another pregnancy with Dotti at the age of 45, which her son describes as a “desperate and slightly insane final attempt” to achieve the family she had always desired. Sadly, this pregnancy also ended in an early miscarriage, further deepening her sorrow.

The couple remained together for their sons’ sake, eventually divorcing in 1982. As Hepburn’s acting career wound down, she dedicated her later years to humanitarian work, serving as a UNICEF ambassador. She considered this role the most significant of her life, continuing her efforts until her death in 1993.

Intimate Audrey, by Sean Hepburn Ferrer and Wendy Holden, offers a poignant look into the personal life of a beloved icon, revealing the profound challenges she faced behind the glamour of Hollywood.