Julia Roberts has the sweetest relationship with niece Emma Roberts, and was one of the first people to wish the actress many happy returns on Tuesday as she turned 29. The Pretty Woman star took to Instagram to post a sweet picture of the pair of them wearing festive Christmas hats, and wrote beside it: "Happy birthday to a gal I love and adore with my whole heart! Yes she is my niece." Emma is the daughter of Julia's brother Eric Roberts and Kelly Cunningham, and has followed in her aunt's footsteps, having appeared in films including Paradise Hills, Little Italy and Wild Child, as well as TV show American Horror Story.
Julia Roberts shared a sweet photo with niece Emma Roberts to mark the star's 29th birthday
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Emma is incredibly close to Julia, and opened up to Busy Philipps on her former series Busy Tonight about their bond back in May, joking that they both "have too many teeth when we smile". Emma added: "When I'm talking to someone it's like whatever, and then I smile and it's like, oh my god, you like just like your aunt." Julia, meanwhile, has opened up about her concerns for Emma in the past, admitting she worries whenever she comes to stay with her that she may have changed due to her fame. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times in 2013, the mother-of-three said: "When Emma comes to stay with us, I always think, 'Please let her me the same,' and she is still the same magical girl she used to be. I think so much of it has to do with your intentions in taking on a business like this. If you have a pure view of what you want to accomplish, I think you can maintain your sense of self."
Julia is incredibly proud of her niece
While Julia often talks about her niece, she is a lot more private about her home life. The star lives in Malibu with husband Daniel Moder and their three children, twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, 14, and Henry, 11. Last year, Daniel shared a rare photo of the family on Instagram to mark Mother's Day. "That pretty mama in the middle, we love you so much," he wrote in the caption. Julia is also confident that her children aren't so aware of just how famous their mum is either. Talking to Oprah Winfrey for Harper's Bazaar, she said: "I think I told you once when they were starting to figure it [fame] out, it was like, 'You're famous?' And I said, 'I think a lot of people might have seen the movie that I'm in or might know who I am.' Maybe an hour goes by. 'Are you more famous than Taylor Swift?'"
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