Liz Hurley and the very saucy postcard revealing her anger over snide bimbo jibes
HE GALLANTLY rushed to Liz Hurley’s defence after she was dismissed as a talentless bimbo when she wore a sensationally revealing dress on the red carpet.
And by way of thanks, film director Michael Winner received a saucy vintage black and white postcard from the actress of a naked smiling woman in a hammock – and an invitation to lunch.
Hurley, Hugh Grant’s girlfriend at the time and struggling to establish herself as an actress, wrote about how upset she was by the barrage of criticism after she wore ‘that dress’ – a plunging Versace design held together with safety pins – to the premiere of Four Weddings And A Funeral in 1994.
She wrote to Winner: ‘I can’t begin to tell you how touched I’ve been by the kind words you’ve said about me recently. If it weren’t for the odd nice person like you and my family, I’d be tempted to give up on England altogether.’
Sent from New York and dated March 12, 1995, the cheeky postcard has the caption: ‘A little hung up – Mary Jo demonstrated that having your ass in a sling wasn’t really so awful.’
Hurley, then aged 30, added: ‘Will you let me take you out for lunch when I’m back in the country?’
The postcard is now being offered on eBay by dealer Dan Moss, who had bought it as one of a number of items pinned to a noticeboard once owned by Winner and auctioned following his death. Last night the starting price was £10, although bids were expected to rise.
Hurley’s appearance with Grant at the premiere of Four Weddings, in which he starred, had turned her into an overnight sensation.
Winner, who died in 2013, came to her defence in a newspaper article after her revealing outfit attracted a flurry of barbed comments.
He wrote: ‘She has been a slogging actress for a long time. She’s done the solid ground work. But the British are stupid. They look at a pretty woman and assume she can’t act. That’s why she may not be offered roles she deserves.
‘When I wanted to get Julie Christie in films, producers assumed she was just a blonde bimbo. We will have to wait and see if Miss Hurley can carry off huge film roles. She’s got the experience. She will have to be [screen] tested and then a decision will have to be made.’
Five months after she sent the postcard, Hurley found herself at the centre of more media attention after Grant was arrested for having sex with a prostitute in Los Angeles. Hurley would have the last laugh over her acting talents. In 1997, she confounded critics by landing a starring role in the hit comedy film Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery. Since 2015 she has played Queen Helena in the E! television series The Royals. And the Versace dress that brought Hurley so much attention remains a cultural icon – in 2012 Lady Gaga appeared in an identical gown.