Elizabeth Hurley reflects on the deaths of 'great loves' Shane Warne and Steve Bing

Elizabeth Hurley has given a heartbreaking interview after losing two "great loves" of her life in as many years.

Speaking to The Times UK, the British model and actress reflected on her relationships with late Aussie cricketing great Shane Warne and film financier and screenwriter Steve Bing, who was the father of her son Damian, 20.

In the interview, Hurley, 57, shared how their deaths impacted Damian. 

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"Of the four great loves of my life two are dead – I always say to the other two, you'd better watch your backs," she said, referring to her other significant relationships with businessman Arun Nayar and actor Hugh Grant. 

"But yes, it was very hard and it still is very hard. Losing Shane was terrible. It's taken a long time to sink in," she added. "I honestly kept thinking he'd call and it would turn out to be some big Aussie joke."

Warne died from a suspected heart attack in March while he was on holiday in Thailand. His death, aged 52, came nine years after the pair ended their engagement after three years of dating. 

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Meanwhile, Hurley lost Bing in 2020 when he reportedly took his own life, aged 55. The model said "losing Stephen was something else completely" as she remembered their 18-month relationship from the early 2000s.

The exes were embroiled in a paternity dispute after their breakup with Hurley issuing Bing with a court-ordered DNA test to prove he was Damian's dad. Although the test proved he was indeed the father, Bing and Damian remained estranged over the years. 

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"We'd been estranged for so long but made up towards the end, and a bright and different future looked as if it was opening up, but of course it didn't," Hurley told The Times. "For Damian, his death was more of a mental challenge because he didn't know him as a person. Arun was his father figure. Arun still calls him son and Damian calls him Dad.

"Shane was more a fun uncle figure. But yes, all those things, combined with COVID and lockdown – that was a huge amount for a young person to process."

Damian himself has spoken out about the deaths of both his biological dad and his would-be stepdad.

"A year ago today, my mother and I received some devastating news," he wrote on Instagram in June 2021, one year after his dad's passing. "I didn't realise at the time quite how much it would affect me... We all like to show 'perfect' versions of our lives- for me, the idea of publicly discussing something as personal as grief is terrifying... but sometimes it's necessary."

"The last year has been bloody hard- for everyone on the planet- and I think acknowledging that is vital. It's not weak to struggle. In fact, to get through to the other side is immensely strong."

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This past March, after Warne's death, Damian shared a throwback photo of himself and the cricketer as he paid tribute.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around this," he wrote. "SW was a father figure to me for most of my formative years and was truly one the best men I've ever known. My heart is broken. Thinking of and sending love to all SW's family."