Celeb Nannies: Hollywood Fairy Tale?

Sept. 8, 2007 — -- They are behind-the-scenes mommies for some of the world's biggest stars, but the roles of some Hollywood nannies go way beyond dirty-diaper duty.

Jude Law had an affair with his nanny and Robin Williams married his.

Some nannies to the stars, however, really are there to take care of the kids.

Tori Spelling's baby nurse Patsy Lemmers has become a reality TV star and she knows how to work the paparazzi.

In a scene from Spelling's Oxygen Network reality show "Tori & Dean: Inn Love," Lemmers is captured on a mission to buy a pregnancy test for her high-profile boss, who is worried she is pregnant just months after her son, Liam, was born. "Guys, successful mission. Here's your chocolate bar," she says upon her return, test in hand.

"A nanny is so intimately involved in the lives of celebrities they really see everything, there's nothing you can hide," US Weekly's Ian Drew said.

With her revolving door of nannies and "mannies," or male nannies, Britney Spears knows all too well that such employees are privy to information their bosses would prefer not leave the house.

"Britney Spears hasn't been able to keep a nanny due to all kinds of crazy requests like asking the nanny to sleep in the bed with her and the children," Drew said.

"All My Children" actor and "Dancing With the Stars" contestant Cameron Mathison said when it comes to his children, Lucas and Leila, privacy is everything. In other words, star-struck fans need not apply.

"You have to be so careful," Mathison said. "It was very clear when we met [our nanny] June that she had no idea I worked on television. I think it can get really, really messy if all of the sudden a fan is now in your house."

The right nanny can be a lifesaver for celebrity couples. Mathison's wife, Vanessa, said, "I consider her our glue. The house would be turned upside down without June."

Caring for a star's kids is a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week job that includes long hours on the set and lots of travel. "Sometimes it gets crazy," June said. "At first it was a little weird, but now it's OK."

Off-set drama can be challenging, too. Just check out Scarlett Johannsen's portrayal of a New York City au pair in "The Nanny Diaries."

"When they explode who do [celebrities] explode on? The people that they're closest to, so the nanny is often the brunt of this," Drew said