Julia Roberts skipped her half-sister’s public memorial in favour of a private family service.
The ‘August: Osage County’ actress wasn’t among the mourners at St. Anne’s Catholic Church and Shrine in Santa Monica on March 8 to say goodbye to Nancy Motes – who died from an apparent overdose aged 37 last month – but insiders say that is because she, her mother Betty Lou and other close family members chose to remember her privately instead.
A source told InTouch Weekly magazine: "The family didn’t want the focus to be on them, they wanted it to be on Nancy and her memory.
"The whole Roberts family came and brought pictures of Nancy, each honoured her in their own way.
"It was tough for them, but I think Nancy would’ve been happy with the way it was done."
It has previously been claimed that Nancy – who had a "complex" relationship with her famous sibling – had left a "ranting" note prior to her death allegedly claiming the actress’ fame had driven her to suicide.
Nancy’s fiancé John Dilbeck said recently: "Nancy was proud of Julia but she had severe abandonment issues.
"She had a knee operation as a teen and piled on weight because she couldn’t exercise. While her sister was the ‘Pretty Woman’, Nancy was an overweight, insecure teenager.
"Nancy was a tortured soul. She grew up in the shadow of a superstar as a sister and Julia’s fame cast a cloud over her life.
"Nancy adored Julia but she became increasingly resentful of the way Julia behaved towards her. In Nancy’s mind Julia was a bully."
Julia Roberts attended private service for sister
