Inside Liz Hurley’s turbulent relationship with her son’s multi-millionaire dad, Steve Bing.

Soon after British actor and supermodel Elizabeth Hurley separated from long-time partner Hugh Grant in May 2000, she met a man who would change her life: Stephen Bing.

Although Hurley and Grant had been together for thirteen years, and Hurley would be with Bing for less than a year, Bing would come to mean much more to the former face of Estee Lauder, as the father of her only child, son Damian.

This week, the relationship between Damian and Bing made headlines because Dr Peter Bing, Damian’s grandfather, attempted to cut his ‘born out of wedlock’ grandson from a sizeable inheritance from his will.

 

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@youmagsocial out now xxx

A post shared by Damian Hurley (@damianhurley1) on Sep 30, 2018 at 4:26am PDT

Who is Steve Bing?

Bing is an American businessman, film producer, and philanthropist. He’s also heir to an enormous property fortune; when he was 18, he inherited approximately $100 million from his grandfather, Leo Bing.

In April 2012, Bing joined the Giving Pledge – a program established by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to commit multi-millionaires and billionaires to donate most of their wealth to charity during their lifetimes.

Bing has also been romantically connected to Uma Thurman and Naomi Campbell.

Liz Hurley and Steve Bing’s relationship

Bing and Hurley, then 35 and 36 respectively, and now both 54, met in 2000.

Their relationship involved a jetset lifestyle of trips to New York and Europe, and Bing reportedly showered Hurley with expensive jewellery.

The couple, whose relationship remained non-exclusive, separated briefly in March 2001. They reconnected soon after, and in August visited Elton John’s holiday home in Nice.

The vacation would be a fateful one for their relationship, as it is believed that is where Damian, now 17, was conceived.

When Hurley announced she was pregnant, Bing denied paternity. A public slinging match in the media ensued, with Hurley forced to deny she’d been with another man, and Bing receiving public backlash to his attitude.

“Ms Hurley and I were not in an exclusive relationship when she became pregnant. It is her choice to be a single mother,” Bing said in a statement at the time. “If indeed I am the father, I will be an extremely involved and responsible parent.”

The couple permanently separated as a result, and Hurley gave birth as a single mother to Damian on April 4, 2002.

 

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Oh my, those were the days ????

A post shared by Elizabeth Hurley (@elizabethhurley1) on Jul 5, 2019 at 10:24am PDT

In August of 2002, Bing’s sister Vicky Ward wrote in a story for Vanity Fair, that according to her sources, Hurley became pregnant after antibiotics compromised the effectiveness of her contraceptive pill.

Ward wrote the article in response to the confirmation by paternity test that Bing was indeed Damian’s father.

Bing’s relationship with Damian and Hurley

Upon Damian’s birth, Bing announced he planned to create a yearly trust for Damian, which he could access when he was 18.

To prove that she had not “snookered [him] into being a parent”, as Ward had written, Hurley declared she wouldn’t accept money from Bing.

Since then, the true nature of the relationship between father and son (it’s been rumoured they have never met), and the financial arrangement between the parents, remained out of the public eye – until now.

 

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A post shared by Damian Hurley (@damianhurley1) on May 24, 2014 at 1:31am PDT

The Mirror reports that in court documents filed for Damian’s inheritance challenge to his grandfather’s estate – a challenge which was instigated by Bing on his son’s behalf – Hurley stated that not only has Bing supported Damian’s care financially, the parents have also shared joint custody since birth.

This week, the matter was ruled in Damian’s favour, acknowledging his entitlement to benefit from the family fortune as much as any of Dr Bing’s other grandchildren.

Damian Hurley’s future

Damian may stand to inherit a great fortune from his grandfather – and his parents – but that doesn’t mean his mum isn’t pushing him to make the most of life.

Hurley told People in 2017 that she wanted her son to achieve at school to become a “fully- rounded person,” and then, hopefully, an actor.

 

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So excited to show you guys something secret I’ve been working on with the divine @PatMcGrathReal !! Shot by #StevenMeisel , here’s #SublimePerfection ; available in stores 7.26.19 ????

A post shared by Damian Hurley (@damianhurley1) on Jul 17, 2019 at 2:33pm PDT

“You don’t want to be a bore at dinner,” she explained.

“You have to know geography, you need to know history, you need to know ancient history,
it’s interesting.”

Hurley’s wishes for her son seem to have come true. In 2016, Damian appeared on The Royals, which Hurley also stars in, and he has pursued an acting career since. In July 2019, he contracted with modelling company Pat McGrath Labs.