Julia Roberts to join Michelle Obama for girls' empowerment trip to Southeast Asia

Julia Roberts is set to join Michelle Obama as a special guest on her girls' empowerment trip to Vietnam and Malaysia.

The former First Lady previously teased she would be joined by special guests for the visits and on Monday (02Dec19), officials at The Obama Foundation announced that the Pretty Woman star and U.S. TV personality Jenna Bush Hager will also be part of the venture.

Bosses at the Girls Opportunity Alliance initiative, developed by the Obama Foundation, will join Obama and the stars when they meet with Vietnamese girls' education organisations beginning on 9 December.

Roberts will then join the former First Lady in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 12 December for a moderated conversation during which they will discuss "lessons from their own leadership journeys and their path-breaking careers," according to a press release.

Members of the Obama Foundation will also head the first-ever gathering of 200 civic leaders from Asia-Pacific in the city from 10 to 14 December with a view to increasing educational opportunities for girls in the region.

"More than 98 million adolescent girls aren't in school, yet the evidence is clear: When girls get the opportunities they deserve, our whole world benefits," Obama told U.S. show Today in October (19), discussing her plans for the trip. "That's why we've been working to lift up grassroots leaders and organizations around the world who improve girls' lives every day."