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.
Miss 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,’ admitted Miss Hurley, who has more than 800,000 followers on Instagram, ‘but I have some other friends I can torture for some too. some of them are professional. My son takes the odd one... my mother’s 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
‘He probably feels embarrassed’
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 Miss 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. Childcare expert steve Biddulph, author of Raising Boys and Love, Laughter And Parenting, says adolescent boys need their parents to lead, rather than depend. When a mother acts as emotional confidante, the child is effectively left motherless and can feel emotionally neglected.
But others say there could be positives. Psychologist Dr Terri Apter, of Cambridge University, says: ‘By taking some of the photographs he is helping promote her swimwear business. Being entrusted with this responsibility could be a source of great pride and empowerment. You cannot draw a clear line between your role as a parent and a friend. Most of us are both.’