Glamorous photos, Liz. But can it really be right that your 15-year-old son is often the one taking them?
AS mother-son relationships go, that of Liz and Damian Hurley is clearly very close.
The actress, 52, says she ‘worships’ her son, 15, while he has declared her ‘the best person on the planet’.
They are frequently pictured together at red carpet events, with single mother Liz holding his hand or snuggling up to him. But it appears Damian’s devotion to his mum goes even further.
Ms Hurley has revealed that the teenager, born from a fleeting relationship with film producer Steve Bing, takes some of the bikini pictures she posts on social media. These photographs, shared with enthusiastic frequency, typically show her stripped off and delivering a smouldering look to camera, flaunting both her incredible figure and her swimwear range.
‘Damian takes some,’ said Ms Hurley, who has over 800,000 followers on Instagram, ‘Some are professional. My son takes the odd one... my mother’s
‘He probably feels embarrassed’
taken a few. It’s a family affair.’
Online fans said it was ‘weird’, ‘wrong’ and ‘very creepy’ that Damian is sometimes behind the camera. One Twitter user said: ‘I don’t think any son should be taking sexy pictures of their mother.’ TV presenter Christine Lampard said on ITV’s Lorraine yesterday: ‘It’s very odd. He probably feels embarrassed. He’s 15, it’s like “Oh mum, not again!” ’
But it seems Damian, godson of Ms Hurley’s ex-boyfriend Hugh Grant, rather enjoys the role. On a photo of the two snowed-in at their Herefordshire home in December, he wrote: ‘Not even we can work swimwear into this picture.’
So why does she do it? Psychologists have long argued that ‘best-friend mothers’ – often single women – assuming the role of a close pal to their sons can be damaging. But psychologist Dr Terri Apter, of Cambridge University, says: ‘He is helping promote her swimwear business. Being entrusted with this responsibility could be a source of great pride.’