Her experiences as a young girl changed her outlook on life and even impacted her actions in adulthood. She experienced many hardships, disappointments and frustrations growing up. Yet through all of this, she learned perseverance and determination. At an early age, Audrey Hepburn’s father walked out on the family. Soon after, her mother sent her to boarding school in England where she studied ballet. It was a lonely and challenging time for such a young girl. The discipline of dance and her rigorous studies, while living away from her family, made it very difficult on Audrey. In 1937, her parents formally divorced and she returned home to her mother. This preceded the outbreak of World War II. Audrey and her mom moved to Holland where they thought they would be safe. Unfortunately, it was far from that. The Nazi invasion began and they lived in very harsh conditions. Audrey was deprived of food and warm shelter. She suffered malnutrition and other serious health issues. Looking back as an adult, Hepburn described the experience as a fearful, depriving event, yet she viewed it as a great learning opportunity. “Being without food, fearful for one’s life, the bombings--all made me appreciative of safety, of liberty. In that sense, I learned the bad experiences have become positive in my life” (Hellstern
Her experiences as a young girl changed her outlook on life and even impacted her actions in adulthood. She experienced many hardships, disappointments and frustrations growing up. Yet through all of this, she learned perseverance and determination. At an early age, Audrey Hepburn’s father walked out on the family. Soon after, her mother sent her to boarding school in England where she studied ballet. It was a lonely and challenging time for such a young girl. The discipline of dance and her rigorous studies, while living away from her family, made it very difficult on Audrey. In 1937, her parents formally divorced and she returned home to her mother. This preceded the outbreak of World War II. Audrey and her mom moved to Holland where they thought they would be safe. Unfortunately, it was far from that. The Nazi invasion began and they lived in very harsh conditions. Audrey was deprived of food and warm shelter. She suffered malnutrition and other serious health issues. Looking back as an adult, Hepburn described the experience as a fearful, depriving event, yet she viewed it as a great learning opportunity. “Being without food, fearful for one’s life, the bombings--all made me appreciative of safety, of liberty. In that sense, I learned the bad experiences have become positive in my life” (Hellstern