Elizabeth Hurley, 52, says she's not on a 'mad ego trip' when she posts bikini photos

Elizabeth Hurley has been in the entertainment industry for three decades, proving that there’s essentially nothing she can’t do. From acting to modeling, and even investing her efforts philanthropically, the 52-year-old is still doing it all — including posing in bathing suits.

Whether you’ve followed her throughout her career or more recently discovered her through her role on the E! hit show The Royals, it’s evident that Hurley is confident with what she’s got. But she doesn’t want people to mistake her for having a “mad ego.”

“It’s not just a mad ego trip,” Hurley tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “It’s not just me going nuts on holiday. It’s a business. If I didn’t have my own bikini line, I probably wouldn’t be posting pictures of myself in a bikini.”

Although the mother of one has her brand Elizabeth Hurley Beach as an excuse to flaunt her incredible body on her Instagram, the longtime model encourages anyone to get into a bikini. All it takes, she says, is finding your light to snap a good photo.

“Like everybody, I really look to find a flattering light and a suit that fits me and suits me,” she explains. “We spend a little time setting it up and checking it’s flattering, which everybody could learn. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with people wanting to make the best of what they have.”

Most important, this goes for women of any age.

“There has been such a big movement in the last few years, which I think is such a positive one. That not everybody has to be 24 and 90 pounds,” Hurley explains. “People are feeling much more comfortable with their own body shape, with their own body type, and I think that’s a really great thing. At any age, it’s fantastic.”

Hurley remembers seeing a photo snapped of Helen Mirren, now 72, in a bathing suit when she was in her 60s. Noting that Mirren looked amazing, Hurley says that it was a big moment for people to realize how great anyone can look in a bathing suit, if they wear it confidently — including her 78-year-old mother, who wears Hurley’s line of one-pieces.

As for Hurley’s 15-year-old son, Damien, he doesn’t seem to mind the sexy content. Instead, he is often the one behind the camera of her bathing suit shots and is now working alongside his mom on her television series.

“Prince Hansel has returned,” Hurley says of her son’s recurring character. “He only does one episode again, but he’s got more to do with it. We also have a scene just the two of us, and it’s quite charming to work with him. I loved it.”

It’s no wonder that the teen, who’s been on a set since his mother’s days on Gossip Girl, is a pro. But Hurley can only hope that he gets as involved with her philanthropic efforts as he has done with his interest in acting.

Going on 23 years of working with Estée Lauder on the company’s breast cancer awareness efforts, Hurley is passionate about the cause and helping to fight the disease that her grandmother passed away from. At the time she first got involved with the brand’s campaign, she says, the pink ribbon didn’t even exist. Now, “the only thing standing between today and the day where women stop dying is money. So we’re set to keep raising it.”

Among Hurley’s many endeavors, she has fun playing the devious Queen Helena on The Royals, even brainstorming the outfit that her character might dare to wear if she hypothetically attended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s highly anticipated nuptials. And while it won’t be a bathing suit, Hurley says, “I dread to think.”

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• Elizabeth Hurley, 52, breaks the internet with bikini dance
• Elle Macpherson, 53, has spent her entire summer in a swimsuit
• Sharon Stone gets in on the over-50 looking great in a bikini trend

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