Julie Andrews Met Her First Husband When She Was Only 11 Years Old

Julie Andrews is one of the most beloved women to ever grace a Broadway stage or a Hollywood film set. Her iconic roles and singing voice in classic works like "Mary Poppins," "The Sound of Music," and "The Princess Diaries" earned the actress a special place in the hearts of fans. She's also the rare case of an actress who's on-screen wholesome image extended to her personal life.

Andrews began her singing and acting career as a child in London, performing as part of her parent's vaudeville act as early as ten. It was in 1948 at a showing of "Humpty Dumpty" in Luton where she met her first husband. The twelve-year-old Tony Walton was in attendance for the performance and spotted the eleven-year-old Andrews on stage. Walton was so impressed by her performance that he reached out and the two became pen-pals, then great friends. The pair's love of theater allowed them to form a tight bond that extended beyond their eventual marriage.

Walton and Andrews kept up correspondence for years while each chased their goals separately. Andrews wrote about the moment the two became engaged in her memoir. "We looked at each other and smiled, and I honestly don't know how it came about, but one of us whispered to the other, 'We should get married soon,'" she wrote via People. Eleven years later, the two young lovebirds were married.

Julie Andrews and Tony Walton remained married from 1959 until 1969. The two welcomed their first daughter in 1962, but the pressures of parenthood and their high-profile careers led Andrews to feel like a separation was inevitable. She discussed the time period in an interview with Vanity Fair: "It's hard because, being a mother, you know that you love your husband and you understand where he's coming from, but you have such a strong bond with your kids [that] you want them to either understand or not be unhappy. It does pull one apart in many, many ways."

While the marriage did dissolve, it didn't come crashing down in flames, with either one of them harboring anger for the other. Andrews described her perspective on the separation in an interview with Now to Love "I did feel I'd failed at it miserably and blamed myself for a great deal. Although I think it probably was a little bit of both [of us]." Despite separating in a fairly amicable way, it was a devastating blow for Andrews, who struggled with her mental health and even attended therapy in the aftermath.

Both parties eventually remarried, but remained friends and had a positive relationship following the divorce. After Walton passed in 2022, Andrews had nothing but praise for her former husband. "Tony was my dearest and oldest friend. He taught me to see the world with fresh eyes and his talent was simply monumental. I will miss him more than I can say," she told PEOPLE.