Pretty skinny woman
Why Julia’s wasting away
Stepping out to do the groceries in Malibu last month, Julia Roberts drew sharp gasps from fellow shoppers. But it wasn’t just the fact they were in the presence of Hollywood royalty that had people staring.
With sunken cheeks and stick-thin legs, the Pretty
Woman star, whose megawatt smile has lit up thousands of silver screens around the world, was but a shadow of her former self – and those close to the A-list actress are deeply concerned.
“Ever since Julia turned 50 last year, she’s been obsessed with her weight,” claims a family insider. “She used to have a healthy appetite, but now she’s skipping meals and eating as little as possible.”
The 1.75m star originally decided to shed five kilos before shooting began on her new TV thriller Homecoming earlier this year. But the insider continues, “She’s lost nearly three times that amount and now weighs just 49kg. She’s gone from Pretty Woman to a pretty skinny woman in double-quick time.”
Julia’s alleged shocking weight drop is said to have become a bone of contention with her husband of 16 years, Danny Moder, 49. Another close source tells, “He’s worried because he thinks Julia is putting too much pressure on herself to maintain a Hollywood-approved weight. They’ve had some huge arguments about it.”
Danny feels it’s not a great example for their kids, Henry, 10, and 13-year-old twins Hazel and Phinnaeus. But part of the problem is Danny himself.
In interviews, Julia often waxes lyrical about her home life with the cameraman she met on the set of the 2001 movie The Mexican. Just last year, she said that before she married Danny, “I was my priority – a selfish little brat running around making films. Now when I think about what makes my life my life, it’s him.”
But those in the know say behind the scenes, things are very different from the rosy portrait the star has painted.
Woman’s Day has learned the couple are apparently deeply unhappy and that for the past 15 months, Danny has been mostly living across the road from their Malibu mansion, in their guest house.
Jealous guy
The two have butted heads regularly over the years and their latest upset is said to be partly due to Julia amping up her career. Once they had kids, she and Danny agreed to pare back their commitments, taking on only those jobs that fitted in with their family life.
For Julia, that meant confining herself to just one movie per year. However, in the past 12 months, she has suddenly increased her load, shooting the family drama
Benis Back in addition to signing on for a demanding schedule for Homecoming.
And it’s not just the amount of work she’s doing, but who she’s doing it with that has irked her husband.
Julia has remained good friends with 54-year-old Dermot Mulroney, her co-star in My Best Friend’s Wedding. He played her love interest in the 1997 romantic comedy and she pushed hard for Dermot to join the cast of
Homecoming – again as her on-screen beau.
“When Danny found out Dermot was in the show, he was furious,” claims a friend. “Even though Julia’s reminded him that Dermot is happily married with children, he’s jealous.”
While Julia knows she is unhealthily thin and is now trying to put some weight back on, her marriage may
be beyond repair. “They fight constantly over her controlling ways,” spills our family insider. “They have very different approaches to parenting. Julia is superprotective of the kids, while Danny believes in being more relaxed.
“For a long time, Danny viewed Julia’s success as his own failure. It triggered a fear that he was not good enough – and the fact Julia controls everything at home made it worse. Feeling insecure and competitive with your partner is no way to live.”
Smouldering in the background is also the way the pair got together. Danny was still married to Argentineanborn make-up artist Vera Moder, 45, when he and Julia fell in love. She famously threw a spanner in the works by at first refusing to grant Danny a divorce and Julia took to wearing a T-shirt that read “A low Vera” until the divorce came through.
Julia and Danny then sprang a surprise wedding on their friends and family at their New Mexico ranch in 2002, but their illicit beginning created some serious trust issues for Ms Roberts.
“She became interested in Hinduism when she starred in the movie Eat Pray Love and she now has a nagging feeling that she will be confronted with karmic justice one day,” spills our insider.
Since Danny moved into the guest house, family tensions have eased a little, but the stress of their stormy relationship has added to Julia’s weight issues.
“Their marriage is hanging by a thread,” concludes the insider. “Unless they can come to terms with their issues, they’re toast.”