In an exclusive interview with Closer Weekly, beloved star Julie Andrews‘ granddaughter Kayti Edwards shares memories of growing up with her famous grandmother. Kayti, 41 — the child of Jennifer Edwards, Julie’s husband Blake Edwards’ daughter from his first marriage — grew up down the street from her famous grandparents. “I could walk to her house in Malibu… we’d be there all day,” she shares. That family time was important because Julie’s life “was very busy,” says Kayti.

To keep order at home, Kayti says her grandmother “was very strict. We had a set schedule. We had tea time.” And the actress who played one of the most famous no-nonsense nannies on film, Mary Poppins, was protective of her own brood. “She guarded us,” Kayti adds.

Their tight family bond allowed Kayti to see a side of Julie, 82, that few others did. “She’s actually a real person,” Kayti points out. “She gets angry. She has feelings. She is not the character you see in the movies.”

Kayti grew up witnessing the priorities Julie had in life, and if there’s one lesson her grandmother taught her, it’s to nurture the people around you. “She’s an ambassador of UNICEF, and she adopted children from Vietnam,” Kayti says of Amy and Joanna. “I followed in her footsteps by starting my own community outreach. I help the homeless.”

http://www.closerweekly.com/posts/julie-andrews-granddaughter-157936