The half sister of Hollywood actress Julia Roberts has died after a suspected drugs overdose.
Nancy Motes was the youngest sister of the Academy Award-winner and actor Eric Roberts.
"It is with deep sadness that the family of Nancy Motes ... confirms that she was found dead in Los Angeles yesterday of an apparent drug overdose," a family statement said.
"There is no official report from the Coroner's office yet. The family is both shocked and devastated.”
The 37-year-old was found on Sunday.
Nancy, who grew up in Georgia, was only 13 when Roberts shot to Hollywood fame as hooker Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman.
The actress , who had won a Golden Globe for playing a young bride in Steel Magnolias, received a second after co-starring alongside Richard Gere.
At the time of her death she had been hoping to follow in her sister’s footstep as an actress and had worked as a production assistant on TV's Glee.
Julia and Nancy had the same mother, Betty Lou, but different fathers.
Nancy's dad was Michael Motes and Julia's was the late Walter Grady Roberts.
The relationship between her and her famous sibling was often strained. Julia's relationship with Nancy was strained
In August, she gave an interview detailing her relationship with Julia, revealing how the Erin Brockovich star often teased her about her weight.
"When I was in high school and she was an adult, she would just let me know that I was definitely overweight,” Nancy said.
“She would make it quite clear to me and in a not-so-nice a manner.
“It just makes me feel incredibly hurt and very sad. “When you’re in a family of very, very exceptionally beautiful people it’s intimidating.”
Nancy, who said she was known as Julia's “fat little sister”, once weighed 21 stone before taking the decision to undergo £20,000 gastric bypass surgery in June 2010.
She refused to ask her sister, who is worth £90million, for the money and instead took out a loan.
Nancy had lost seven stone since the operation last June.
She had hoped her transformation would help repair their fractured relationship, however said it was still “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,” she said.
She described herself as an “awkward” child who was bullied at school, could not compete with the success of her “very pretty and very popular” sister.
Nancy had been living in a Malibu apartment with her fiance John Dilbeck, a film and TV locations manager.
The couple had planned to wed in May
Michelle Ochs, Kelly Rowland and Carly Cushnie attend the Cushnie Et Ochs MADE Fashion Week Fall 2014 at Milk Studios in New York City.
June Ambrose attends the Montcler Grenoble Fall 2014 presentation at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.
La La Anthony attends the Cushnie Et Ochs MADE Fashion Week Fall 2014 at Milk Studios in New York City.
This Simmon's sister is a front row regular at the Charlotte Ronson show. This season she showed up in a Charlotte Ronson asymetrical blazer, fluttered skirt and metal ankle strap pumps. Does the look work for her?
Jillian Hervey, Vanessa Williams and Melanie Hervey attend Carmen Marc Valvo fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2014 at The Salon at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Adepero Oduye and Vanessa Williams attend Carmen Marc Valvo fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2014 at The Salon at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Estelle attends the Sally LaPointe fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2014 at Skylight Modern in New York City.
Kelly Rowland attends the JC Obando fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2014 at Academy Mansion in New York City.
Leona Lewis attends Go Red For Women The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Theatre at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Hannah Bronfman attends Jason Wu fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2014 in New York City.
Alicia Quaries, wearing Zac Posen, walks the runway at Go Red For Women - The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection 2014 Show Made Possible By Macy's And SUBWAY Restaurants at The Theatre at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Nene Leakes presents a dress by Dolce & Gabbana during The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection show sponsored by the American Heart Association Go Red For Women campaign in New York.
Kat Graham walks the runway at Go Red For Women - The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection 2014 Show Made Possible By Macy's And SUBWAY Restaurants at The Theatre at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Rutina Wesley, wearing Max Azria, walks the runway at Go Red For Women - The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection 2014 Show Made Possible By Macy's And SUBWAY Restaurants at The Theatre at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Anika Noni Rose walks the runway wearing Pamella Roland at Go Red For Women - The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection 2014 Show Made Possible By Macy's And SUBWAY Restaurants at The Theatre at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Gina Torres walks the runway wearing Marchesa at Go Red For Women - The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection 2014 Show Made Possible By Macy's And SUBWAY Restaurants at The Theatre at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Star Jones attends Go Red For Women The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection 2014 Show Made Possible By Macy's And SUBWAY Restaurants at The Theatre at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Kelly Rowland attends the Houghton show during MADE Fashion Week Fall 2014 at Milk Studios in New York City.
June Ambrose attends the Richard Chai -- Love show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2014 at The Salon at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Samira Wiley attends BCBGMAXAZRIA fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2014 at The Theatre at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Tashiana Washington attends Nicholas K fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2014 at The Pavilion at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Eric West attends Nicholas K fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2014 at The Pavilion at Lincoln Center in New York
Nana Meriwether attends BCBGMAXAZRIA fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2014 at The Theatre at Lincoln Center in New York
Police are today looking into fresh claims that cleared Coronation Street star Bill Roache sexually assaulted three women. The actor, who plays Ken Barlow in the soap, was found not guilty of indecently assaulting four girls aged 12 to 16 and twice raping a fifth, following a four-week trial at Preston Crown Court. But the star faces fresh anguish today after three more women came forward, making allegations to Lancashire Police, during his trial. A police spokeswoman told MailOnline the allegations are being 'looked into' but added that no formal investigation has been launched. She said: 'During the course of the trial of Mr Roache, a number of other people have contacted the police with further information. 'This information will be reviewed to ascertain what action, if any, needs to be taken in relation to it. 'Mr Roache was acquitted of all the charges in the trial and there is no current investigation.' The star was accused of using his fame and popularity to exploit 'starstruck' youngsters, aged 16 and under, in the late 60s and early 70s. The 81-year-old always maintained his innocence and blamed hysteria after the Jimmy Savile scandal for 'money-grabbing' women who falsely accused him of sex offences.
He has said he will not comment on any aspect of his court ordeal. His management team declined to comment on the news of fresh allegations. Earlier this week it emerged Mr Roache will return to TV screens playing Ken Barlow this summer. The 81-year-old is due to meet with the show's bosses this week to discuss his return after scriptwriters sent his character to Canada in May. Speaking outside court following his acquittal, the actor, who has been in the soap since its first episode in 1960, said: 'In these situations there are no winners. I would like to get back to work. ITV then said immediately afterwards: 'We look forward to talking to Bill about his return,' with sources saying he will start filming scenes in April to be shown from July onwards.
Cleared: The Coronation Street actor was found not guilty of indecently assaulting four girls aged 12 to 16 and twice raping a fifth, after a four-week trial at Preston Crown Court
Past and present cast members have rushed to celebrate his acquittal, but also slammed the 'wasteful' and 'nonsense' decision to prosecute him. The jury took less than six hours to reject allegations made by five women dating back almost half a century, leading to furious claims the case had been brought as part of a ‘celebrity witch-hunt’. Roache's QC said the ‘spectre’ of Jimmy Savile had haunted the inquiry since the start and led police to single out the actor for unfair treatment due to his celebrity status. Nazir Afzal, the Chief Crown Prosecutor for North West England, has said it had been right for the allegations against Roache to be put before a jury, insisting his celebrity status made no difference. But barrister Neil Addison, a former Senior Crown Prosecutor, said: ‘I do think that there is a witch hunt in the sense of the post-Savile era.’ In his emotional speech on the steps of court he thanked ITV, his friends and family for their support since he was arrested. He also thanked his friends at the spiritual love sect - the Circle of Love - who he meets with twice a month to practise spiritual healing, meditate and discuss the mysteries of the universe.
Nigerian and Cameroonian pop star who launched a skin cream called Whitenicious has defended her product after critics branded it an 'abomination' for promoting skin-bleaching.
In an interview with Ebony, Dencia claims that the skincare cream is intended to remove dark spots, and that it is out of her control if customers use it to whiten their entire skin.
Defending her own drastically altered appearance since she started using Whitenicious, the singer asserts: 'I was never that dark in real life... And guess what? I don't even care because [critics] are bringing me business.' Before and after: Nigerian and Cameroonian pop star Denica has defended her skin cream, Whitenicious, after critics branded it an 'abomination' for promoting skin-bleaching
Cultural phenomenon: Skin bleaching is a growing trend in Dencia's native West Africa, and critics are angered that it appears she is promoting it with her product
According to the product website, Whitenicious - which bears the slogan, 'Say goodbye to pigmentation and spots forever' - effectively lightens skin in just seven days.
Skin bleaching is a growing trend in Dencia's native West Africa, and critics are angered that it appears she is promoting it with her product.
Specifically, the pop star has been criticized for using her own changing skin tone as a marketing technique. Pictures of Dencia taken in 2011 show her with much darker pigmentation compared to the Whitenicious campaign where she appears several shades lighter.
'When you take that picture and you put a picture of Dencia darker, this is what you're telling people - the product really works. And guess what? People really want to buy it. It's what it is. I don't really care,' the singer admitted.
Still, she refutes the idea that she is glorifying lighter skin, claiming it is for removing dark spots only and that she came up with the name because it's symbolic for 'fresh beginnings' and 'purification'.
'These girls are not trying to bleach their skin,' she says of her customers. 'They're just trying to get rid of these little things that is making them feel uncomfortable, you know? '
In another attempt at justification, Dencia explains that the majority of her customers are African-Americans, not Africans, 'because the White man doesn't even like the light Africans. They like the Black Africans.' Defense: The singer refutes the idea that she is glorifying lighter skin, claiming it is for removing dark spots only and that she came up with the name because it's symbolic for 'fresh beginnings' and 'purification'
She then elaborates by saying: 'Look at all the Africans that are successful in the world. They are as Black as Alek Wek. And if I was as Black as Alek Wek, I would never ever use anything on my skin.'
Ultimately, Dencia admits than Whitenicious can indeed be used to bleach skin, but that most women wouldn't use it this way because of its luxury price point.
'I don't see anybody spending all that money to bleach their entire skin,' she says of her product, which costs $60 for a small pot and $160 for a large one. 'I don’t see that happening.'
Without skipping a beat, though, she proceeds to contradict herself by asserting that if a customer were to bleach her entire skin, it would be beyond her control.
Bizarre claim: Finally, when Dencia is warned that skin-lightening cream has been proven to cause cancer, she counters: 'Guess what? The air you breathe outside causes you cancer. Everything in the world causes cancer'
'Do I have customers who come and buy stuff for over $2,000? Yes, I do. Do I ask them what they want to do with it? No, I don’t,' she says.
'Do I know what they want to do with it? No, I don't care because it’s their money, it's how they want to spend it.'
Finally, when Dencia is warned that skin-lightening cream has been proven to cause cancer, she counters: 'But guess what? The air you breathe outside causes you cancer. Everything in the world causes cancer.'
When Dencia launched Whitenicious in January and saw it sell out within 24 hours, critics took to Twitter to voice their outrage that she would promote a phenomenon that has come to symbolize self-hatred among dark-skinned women.
One person posted a tweet directed at her, writing: 'This #whitenicious cream of yours is an abomination and creating more insecurities among women all over the world.'
And another said: 'When Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "I have a dream…" The dream was not to become white.'
Toni Braxton and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds are back together making music. The iconic R&B singers just delivered a new duets album, Love, Marriage & Divorce, Tuesday (Feb. 4), along with a special deluxe edition available only at Target with two bonus tracks, "Let's Do It" and "One."
To mark the occasion, BET.com got Braxton and Face, who've known each other for decades, together for a candid conversation and they wound up revealing things that they previously didn't even know about each other. Read on to see which one of these stars makes a big announcement.
Babyface: I have a question I would like to ask you Miss, Toni Braxton. How do these themes of love, marriage and divorce translate on the new album?
Toni Braxton: For me it translates as a personal anthem. All those things, s--t I was going through before I got married, when I got married and unfortunately divorce happened. I found that talking about it and putting it out in front was therapeutic for me, and it made me become more creative in the writing and singing process, so it was therapy, in a sense, for me. Which helped me be a better artist because my songs were more personal.
B: So it was therapeutic for you?
T: Absolutely. What about you, Mr. Edmonds, how did these themes of love, marriage and divorce translate to you on this new album? How did you feel going into this project and calling it Love, Marriage & Divorce?
B: Initially when we went into this album, I didn't know what themes we were going to do, I just knew we needed something that was honest and felt good. And I was working with Toni Braxton and she was like ready to kinda quit and not really be in music anymore and she just needed something to sing about, and one thing that we both could relate to was being in love, being married and then divorce, so it made sense for us to sing about something that we knew from what we've experienced and that friends and family have experienced as well. I think it translated well 'cause we were able to use personal stories as well as stories from our parents — in your case — and it came out great. And I think that people will pick it up and there will be themes on this record that everybody will be like, "I know that feeling and I know that story."
B: I have another question for you Ms. Toni Braxton.
T: [Laughs] What's that?
B: How do you know when you're in love?
T: How do I know when I'm in love? Let's see, I've been in love so many times [laughs].
B: How did you know you were in love?
T: It's different feelings, but the most important thing is that butterflies feeling that girls get. I don't know if boys get that but girls do. [We get] those bubbles in our tummy and we talk about them [the men] all the time.
B: That could be indigestion, but go ahead.
[Both laugh]
T: But we feel good about that, and I get happy. I have this sense of happiness and, I don't like to say "sense of purpose." It's more like this complete happiness like you feel like there's nothing you can't do when you're with that person, and you're falling in love. The falling in love is the best thing in any relationship to me.
B: Good answer. Just so you know if you ever wanna have that feeling again, just drink a Pepsi! I have another question I wanna ask you. Love can be a roller coaster at times. How do you keep the relationship going?
T: La Perla helps, but my mom always said when you're having an argument or disagreement with a guy you can never have that argument not looking pretty. You always have to have on at least some lipstick because it's important that he still finds you attractive, that you still are the woman. So I work on those things that my mom taught me being a girl, and I think it's just important to keep it sexy. You gotta keep it sexy. As far as communication, I try to be honest with my feelings and to always acknowledge if there's an elephant in the room. And I try to make guys communicate. Sometimes it's challenging with men, they aren't always as cooperative in telling you how they feel.
B: Okay, so keep it sexy. Don't wear grandma underwear?
T: Exactly!
T: As a man, how do you know when it's time to walk away from love?
B: When you just don't care anymore.
T: And how does a man know when they don't care? Is there something that happens, something that triggers it, a series of things, a conclusion?
B: When you can put La Perla on and it doesn't matter.
T: [Laughs] Touché! Okay, fill in the blank on this statement, "Love hurts the most when…"
B: Love hurts the most when you really love. Sometimes you think you're in love and then you find out that you're not because you're not really hurting. But when it's real love, then it's gonna hurt. It's supposed to hurt because it's real.
T: So hurt always goes along with love? Poor guy.
B: Yeah, I think that's part of it. You can feel sorry, but unless you really love somebody and truly care, the hurt is not really there.
B: Speaking of that, my next question for you is, when the love is gone in a relationship, have you ever stayed too long and why?
T: It takes a long time for the love to be gone for me. Usually when I'm in love, I try really hard to make it work and sometimes I get lost in the idea of society telling me how it should work. I need to understand that sometimes love is just seasonal. And that's something I'm working on developing, but I've stayed in relationships longer than I should have in the past. I think most people have, because the idea of being in love makes you feel like you can conquer any and everything.
B: I have another question for you and it's an important question. In 2014, today, is an emotional or sensitive man still attractive to you?
T: In 2014, because I'm old school, I think an emotional and sensitive man is very attractive. I mean he can't be singing songs about dolphins all day long, but a man that's in tune with his feelings and emotions is a gentleman, like guys that opens doors, like guys that bring me flowers and tell me I'm beautiful, so I definitely want a sensitive and emotional man.
B: What are some of the things that you won't tolerate?
T: I won't tolerate a man who's disrespectful, calls me "b---h." Even if it's sexy, I don't like that new school way of being "romantic."
B: Makes sense.
T: So I guess the important question that everybody wants to know from you ... Would you ever consider getting married again?
B: I've already considered it. I'm engaged, so yes.
T: You're engaged?! I think your fans are gonna be a little disappointed, but equally happy for you.
T: What have you learned from your past relationships that have helped you this time around?
B: The main thing is being honest with yourself and being honest with your feelings. When we're not honest with ourselves we just accept situations, don't talk about them, and as you said, ignore the elephant in the room. You better recognize there is an elephant in the room and deal with it, because a lot of times the elephant in the room is the one that you put in there, so you have to deal with it.
T: So what has Love, Marriage & Divorce taught you about yourself?
B: That it's an ongoing thing that we keep learning, and we're never too old to learn. It's something that you can't just say, "Okay, I got this down." It doesn't quite work that way. All of us are a work in progress all the time. I think all three things have made me grow and I'm still growing.
Julia, left, and Nancy, right 
Defense: The singer refutes the idea that she is glorifying lighter skin, claiming it is for removing dark spots only and that she came up with the name because it's symbolic for 'fresh beginnings' and 'purification'
