Everything You Need To Know About Liz Hurley's Son, Damian
It's clear that Damian Hurley has inherited the striking looks of his gorgeous mother, actress Elizabeth Hurley. It's the first thing many notice about the 19-year-old model. Though being the stunning son of a Hollywood bombshell might sound like quite the life, there have been many ups and downs for Damian that one might not expect.
Elizabeth first met Damian's father, Steve Bing, just months after her breakup from her partner of 13 years, Hugh Grant (per Us Weekly). The two dated for about 18 months before calling it quits. When Elizabeth announced she was pregnant and that Steve was the father, he refuted that claim.
"Ms. Hurley and I were not in an exclusive relationship when she became pregnant. It is her choice to be a single mother," he said after her announcement (per the Los Angeles Times). "If indeed I am the father, I will be an extremely involved and responsible parent."
Damian was born April 4, 2002
Following Damian's birth in April 2002, paternity tests were conducted. In June 2002 the tests confirmed Elizabeth Hurley's claim that Steve Bing was her son's father (per the Los Angeles Times). Despite Steve's vows to form a relationship with his son, the two were estranged for long periods of Damian's life. Court paperwork in 2018 claimed that Damian had never met Steve (per OK! Magazine).
That was, in part, because Steve struggled with drug addiction throughout Damian's life. "Steve was in a lot of pain and the drugs were a destructive means of escape for him," his last girlfriend told Page Six. "He hated everything about drug use, and he made several efforts to recover. Steve was trying to get help ... He never had a nurturing upbringing, and [regretted] his broken relationship with his children — he loved Damian and his daughter, Kira."
That drug use factored into Steve's death by suicide in June 2020. Damian posted about his father's death, writing, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone that has reached out following the devastating news. I'm trying to reply to as many of you as I can, but please know I will always remember your kindness. This is a very strange and confusing time and I'm immensely grateful to be surrounded by my phenomenal family and friends 🖤" (per Instagram).
Damian also struggled to establish a relationship with his extended family
Damian Hurley's relationship with Steve Bing hasn't been his only difficult personal connection. He also faced hurt after attempts to cut him out of the will of his grandfather, Dr. Peter Bing. A trustee for Dr. Bing's estate filed paperwork which tried to exclude Damian, as well as his half-sister, Kira, from the trust for his grandchildren. The trustee argued that Dr. Bing didn't believe that grandchildren born out of wedlock were grandchildren of his and wouldn't want them to benefit from the funds (per People).
A judge initially shot down the motion, but the motion was later appealed. During the appeal, Kira and Damian were disinherited (per the New York Post). Damian was believed to have lost out on $250 million.
Damian would also be cut out of Steve's will after Steve's death by suicide. Elizabeth Hurley spoke out about the decision, which left her son and his sister with nothing. "When Stephen took his own life, he died thinking his children were going to be taken care of," she said (per the Daily Mail). "What Stephen wanted has now been callously reversed. I know Stephen would have been devastated."
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Damian's bond with his mom is uniquely close
For most of his life, Damian Hurley has had few other people but his mother, Elizabeth Hurley, to lean on. As a result, mother and son, who are a spitting image of one another, are extremely close.
Yahoo! Life quotes Elizabeth: "Yes, we're very close. Thank goodness, because it's really just the two of us." She added, "Of course, he's left me streets behind because he's young and knows everything, but otherwise we have the same sensibility, which is great."
Elizabeth believes that the two are genuinely a lot a like and that their closeness is not simply because they are family. "We've never had a horrible fight, we're never rude to each other, and I've always encouraged him to speak up when something is annoying or upsetting him. I try really hard to avoid stony silence," she noted. "I rather think I've simply been blessed with a child whose personality gels with mine ... it's definitely nature not nurture."
Damian's career is off to an impressive start
Damian Hurley may only be 19, but he's already been christened a "supermodel in the making" by Vogue UK. The 6'1" young man signed with IMG models in 2020 (per WWD). "I'm incredibly excited to be joining IMG Models," he said at the time. "To become part of such a wonderful family is truly fantastic. I can't wait to see what the future brings."
Prior to that, he had appeared on mom Elizabeth Hurley's E! series, "The Royals" (per IMDb). He got his start in fashion working with photographer Steven Meisel for Pat McGrath Labs. Damian even worked with model Irina Shayk in a short film (per the Evening Standard).
"It's important to be at an agency you're comfortable with," Damian told Vogue UK about his modeling experience thus far. "My wonderful agents suffer hours of me stressing without complaint. If you don't have a supportive team behind you, then it can feel daunting."