The Moment
Elizabeth Hurley is backstroked her way across the internet this weekend, and yes, it involved a teeny-tiny bikini and a very blue pool.
In a new video shared on her official Instagram account, the British actress and model glides on her back in crystal-clear water, wearing a cheetah-print two-piece from her own label, Elizabeth Hurley Beach. In the caption, she invites followers to ‘wish you were here’ in the Maldives and tags her swimwear brand loud and proud.
A major entertainment news site quickly turned the clip into a full-blown story, complete with screengrabs and a reminder that Hurley, now 60, is rarely photographed in anything but a bikini these days. Recently, she also rang in the new year at a James Bond-themed party in a white two-piece that nodded to Ursula Andress in Dr. No.
So yes, technically it is an ad for a bathing suit. Practically, it is a one-woman campaign for owning your body, your age, and your bank account at the same time.
The Take
I’ll be honest: I rolled my eyes before I hit play. Another celebrity bikini video, another round of ‘how does she look like that at her age?!’ headlines, another comment section Olympics.
But here’s the thing about Elizabeth Hurley: this isn’t mindless thirst trapping. It’s strategic thirst trapping.
She’s not just the swimsuit model; she’s the swimsuit designer, the brand founder, and, very intentionally, the primary billboard. Every time she posts a poolside clip, she’s doing three jobs at once: model, creative director, and marketing department.
Think of it like this: most of us post vacation photos to make our friends jealous for free. Elizabeth is posting them and sending an invoice to your imagination. She’s selling bikinis, yes, but also selling a fantasy of midlife that does not quietly fade into the caftan section.
And that’s why people over 40 can’t stop watching – and, let’s be real, screenshotting. She has turned what could have been a throwaway thirst post into a kind of visual manifesto: you can age, you can be a mom, you can run a business, and you can still parade around in animal print like you own the resort.
Is it filtered? Absolutely. Is it aspirational to the point of absurd? Also yes. But compared with a 22-year-old influencer shilling detox tea, a 60-year-old actress selling bikinis she actually designs is about as honest as the internet gets.
Receipts
Let’s separate what we know from what we’re just reading into the ripples:
Confirmed
Elizabeth Hurley Goes for a Sultry Swim in Cheetah Print Bikini at 60 [VIDEO]: The designer floated in the water and showed off her amazing body.
The post Elizabeth Hurley Goes for a Sultry Swim in Cheetah Print Bikini at 60 [VIDEO] appeared first on… https://t.co/LgmzfCY9TF pic.twitter.com/m4VENrZjAz
— EntertainmentNow (@EntertnmentNow) January 19, 2026
- Elizabeth Hurley shared a pool video on her verified Instagram account, wearing a cheetah-print bikini from her own brand, Elizabeth Hurley Beach, and mentioning the Maldives in the caption (post dated mid-January 2026).
- A major celebrity news site published an article on January 18, 2026, highlighting the video, describing her sensual backstroke and quoting her caption inviting followers to ‘wish you were here’ while tagging her swimwear label.
- Hurley has long fronted her Elizabeth Hurley Beach line herself, consistently modeling the designs in social media posts and interviews since the brand launched in the mid-2000s.
- She attended a James Bond-themed New Year’s Eve party recently in a white bikini reminiscent of Ursula Andress’s iconic look in the 1962 film Dr. No, as noted in the same entertainment write-up and shown in photos shared online.
Unverified / Interpretation
- That this specific video directly drove a spike in bikini sales. (Very likely good for business, but no public numbers yet.)
- Any claim that she is trying to ‘compete’ with younger influencers. That’s fan and media speculation, not something Hurley has said about this particular post.
- That there is heavy retouching on the clip. Like most celebrity content, it is well lit and glam, but editing details have not been confirmed.
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
If you know Elizabeth Hurley mainly as Hugh Grant’s ex in that safety-pin Versace dress, here’s the quick refresher.
Hurley first broke out in the 1990s as an actress and model, then really cemented her pop-culture status with films like Bedazzled and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. In the mid-2000s she launched Elizabeth Hurley Beach, a luxury swim and resort-wear brand that leans hard into glamorous, sometimes daring cuts.
Instead of hiring a new generation of models, she has mostly modeled the suits herself – through her 40s, 50s, and now 60s. That choice has turned her Instagram into a kind of ongoing campaign where the message is: this is what our customer looks like, and she’s not apologizing for it.
Over the years, Hurley has said in multiple interviews that she genuinely loves swimwear design and that posting beach photos is partly business and partly joy. So when you see her in yet another tiny bikini, it’s both content and commerce.
What’s Next
So where does this latest backstroke of branding leave us?
First, expect more of the same – in the best sense. The formula works: sun, water, a bold print, and a caption that blurs the line between vacation diary and catalog shot. As long as Elizabeth Hurley Beach exists, Hurley is going to keep being its most reliable model.
Second, don’t be surprised if you see more celebrity women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s following her lead. The midlife bikini pic has become its own sub-genre, but few have packaged it as tightly as Hurley has: product in frame, brand tag visible, and a location that makes you want to Google resort prices you absolutely cannot justify.
What I’m watching for next: whether she leans further into this energy with a proper campaign built around older women, or keeps playing the solo act. Imagine a photoshoot with a cast of 40-plus women in all different shapes, in her designs, taking over some fancy beach. That would move the needle from ‘wow, she looks amazing’ to ‘okay, maybe we all belong here.’
Until then, she’ll keep doing what she does best: turning a simple swim into a global conversation about age, beauty, and who gets to show their body off online.
Your turn: when you see Elizabeth Hurley in another tiny bikini at 60, does it feel empowering, exhausting, aspirational – or something else entirely?
Sources
- Elizabeth Hurley’s verified Instagram account (@elizabethhurley1), bikini video and caption referencing the Maldives and Elizabeth Hurley Beach, posted January 2026.
- Major entertainment news article on Hurley’s bikini video and James Bond-themed New Year’s Eve look, published January 18, 2026.
- Past interviews and features on Elizabeth Hurley Beach and Hurley’s role as designer and model, various outlets, 2018-2023.
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