She baked Julia Roberts a birthday cake every year — and the actress finally responded on her 'special day'

Being a celebrity comes with its challenges, but the unwavering love from fans often makes it worthwhile. Julia Roberts, one of Hollywood's most admired stars, unknowingly gained a devoted admirer in Mary Nesbitt Larking (@marylily2 on Instagram). After watching "Pretty Woman," Larking became so enchanted with Roberts that she began baking her a birthday cake every year.

But like any other celebrity fan, Larking's love was confined to her Instagram profile posting the pictures of the cake she baked for Roberts. She professed her love through her posts on October 28 along with a cake. In one of her posts from 2020, she shared a carousel of the cakes baked with a caption, "It's that time of year again! As some of you know, every year, I bake a cake for the beautiful Julia Roberts' birthday. Lots of you ask why, and the truth is, I just really adore the woman." 

Larking explained that she has Hydrocephalus, a neurological condition that affects her coordination and causes hand spasticity, making her cakes appear somewhat childlike. Despite this challenge, she remained dedicated to baking a cake every year, hoping the "Notting Hill" star would one day notice her heartfelt gesture. 

Lo and behold, Roberts discovered Larking, who's been making a cake for the actress since 2014. In 2020, after 6 years of diligent baking, the actress took notice, liked, and commented on the fan's post. She wrote, "They all look delicious. Thank you [for] thinking of me on my special day." And naturally, Larking was over the moon for being recognized by her favorite star. Many fans feel far more emotionally invested in their favourite star than they might admit. A 2021 study surveyed 1,763 adults about their attitudes toward celebrities using the Celebrity Attitude Scale. It found that about 13.8 % of participants scored high on intense or borderline-pathological levels of celebrity admiration, meaning their emotional involvement with a celebrity is strong enough to affect aspects of their daily life and psychological well-being. 

Larking shared her excitement in an exclusive interview with The Sun, saying, "When I saw there was a comment, I sat on the floor and burst into tears, feeling completely overwhelmed. I would always tag her team, just on the off chance that they may show Julia, but until this year, nothing had ever happened. Because I've been doing this for so long I didn't think this year would be any different." However, when the notification popped up, she couldn't believe it. "I thought I must have misread it and that maybe it was a fan page, but I felt compelled to click on it." 

"I saw there was a comment too. I clicked on it and noticed the little blue verification tick by her name, and as dramatic as it sounds, it felt like everything was in slow motion," Larking continued. "I ran upstairs and handed my phone to my mum, and all I said was 'It's happened,' and she knew. I just can't fathom that this amazing person has not only seen my post but has taken the time out to actually comment. Even waking up this morning, I wondered if I'd dreamt the whole thing." 

This article originally appeared 1 year ago.