Audrey Hepburn life was ‘pick yourself from nothing,’ says her sons

Audrey Hepburn has an unapologetic approach to life, claim her sons in a confessional.

Speaking to PEOPLE, the actress’ two sons, Sean Hepburn Ferrer and Luca Dotti, reveal their mother was mindful of her mental wellbeing.

“Her life was ‘pick yourself up and start from nothing,’ sort of a phoenix rising from the ashes,” Ferrer tells PEOPLE, adding, “First from World War II, and then from three lost pregnancies and two marriages that went bad. But she was always someone who continued to believe in humanity, maybe not as much in society, but certainly in humanity.”

“I was insulated away from the whole Hollywood thing. That’s actually one of the greatest gifts she gave us. She stopped her career at the top of her game to become a full-time mom and be there and pick me up at school and get up in the morning, make breakfast,” he says.

“She wanted kids and she said, ‘I’m going to be a mom.’ As I grew up, people would tell me, ‘Look, it’s your mother on TV.’ At first, I didn’t realize how much influence she had. Then with time, I realized how good she was and how much she had touched her public.”

“She said, ‘Am I going to be a present or a distant mother?’ And she chose to be a present mother for my brother and myself. And she knew she was lucky. She said, ‘I’m lucky enough to have had a very difficult youth, then a fantastic career. Why continue doing something that would take me away from my family?’” reveal her sons.