Dame Julie Andrews has made a rare public appearance to raise awareness of Parkinson’s, explaining she knows just how ‘devastating’ the condition can be for people
Dame Julie Andrews has made a very rare public appearance in a bid to raise awareness for a devastating cause.
The Mary Poppins star, 90, appeared in a video to launch the World Parkinson’s Congress conference. In the video, the British star explained that she knows first-hand just how “devastating” the condition can be for people.
Speaking in the video, shared on YouTube by the World Parkinson Coalition, she said: “Good evening, everyone, I’m Julie Andrews, and I’m pleased to welcome you to the seventh World Parkinson’s Congress.
“Your participation is invaluable as we seek to find a cure to this terrible disease. I know well how devastating it can be.”
Dame Julie went on to add: “May we all become a beacon of light to stop it in its tracks. Count me in as a red thread. Thank you.”
In the video clip, the legendary actress looked relaxed as she sat in a white chair, close to a window overlooking a sprawling garden. She wore a grey sweater and a white T-shirt with a turtleneck, before completing her look with a pair of gold earrings and a gold necklace.
But while Dame Julie is still actively working, the actress rarely steps out in public. The star recently stepped out again as Lady Whistledown in the Netflix smash hit, Bridgerton, as well as appearing in the likes of Minions: The Rise of Gru, and Blake Edwards: A Love Story in 24 Frames.
However, despite Dame Julie narrating Lady Whistledown, she previously revealed she’s never actually met her co-stars. Speaking on the Today Show in 2022, she said: “You know, I’ve never met the company in person. Of course, I see them on the show sometimes. But I do all my recording far, far away from them.”
And although a third instalment of The Princess Diaries, alongside Anne Hathaway, has been given the green light, it is unclear whether Dame Julie would be reprising her role as Queen Clarisse Renaldi of Genovia.
But most recently, Dame Julie has turned her hand to another aspect of her career, this time with the help of her eldest daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton. Ahead of the upcoming release of Bridgerton, the actress and her daughter are releasing a new children’s book, Shy.
Dame Julie confirmed the news on her Instagram page earlier this year. Alongside the cover art for the novel, she captioned her upload: “We are delighted to announce that Julie and Emma’s next picture book, SHY, illustrated by Eva Byrne and inspired by Julie’s own ‘singing’ dog, is now available for pre-sale! – Team Julie.”
This, however, is not the first time the mother-daughter duo have teamed up. They have written several stories in the past, including Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs and Lullabies, Waiting in the Wings, and The Very Fairy Princess series.
Emma, in addition to her own acting career, has appeared on screen with Dame Julie in That’s Life! and Julie’s Greenroom, and has worked as the artistic co-director and director of education and programming at the Bay Street Theatre in New York.
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