Nancy Motes, the half-sister of Oscar winning actress Julia Roberts, has gone public with a story that may change the way some look at Roberts. She said that Roberts bullied her over her weight for years and she got gastric bypass surgery in the hope of fixing their relationship.
“When I was in high school and she was an adult, she would just let me know that I was definitely overweight,” Motes, 37, told The New York Daily News over the weekend. “She would make it quite clear to me and in a not-so-nice a manner.”
Motes, who said that she once weighed as much as 300 pounds, said that her famous sister’s comments made her feel “incredibly hurt and very sad.”
After years of bullying, she decided to get gastric bypass surgery in July 2010 and now weighs 155 pounds. “I think we’re both trying to change our opinions of each other,” she explained. “It’s a work in progress. It’s not going to be fixed overnight, nor do I think it’s going to be fixed at this point by me just getting skinny.”
Motes, whose other siblings - Eric Roberts and Lisa Roberts Gillan - are also famous, hopes that the surgery will help restore her relationship with Roberts. She did pursue acting in school and said that Roberts did recently help her secure a production assistant job with Glee.
“My family, we love each other absolutely,” Motes said, shutting down reports that Roberts wouldn’t go to her wedding next year. “I love Julia absolutely, and I have no doubt she loves me.”
Roberts’ reps did not provide the Daily News with a statement. The actress will be seen in August: Osage County this fall and is working on the HBO film The Normal Heart.
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