Elizabeth Hurley's sudden rise to fame in the mid-1990s was a "real shock to one's psyche".
The 'Bedazzled' star was a working actress but was still relatively unknown until she was propelled into the spotlight alongside her then-boyfriend Hugh Grant following the release of his 1994 movie 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' - and Elizabeth, 59, admits the couple weren't prepared for all the attention they received.
Speaking during the Bazaar At Work summit in London on Tuesday (03.12.24), she explained: "I was with my ex, Hugh Grant, so it happened to both of us at the same time.
"Like me, he'd also worked a lot, and thought he was doing pretty well, until 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' came out and suddenly it was completely different – he was a phenomenon.
"The film was a massive success, and everything changed. But there was two of us and I think that massively helped. When you’re suddenly thrust into the spotlight, your lives aren’t set up for it ...
"You don’t have any protection. It was alarming. The press was much ruder back in the 90s and 2000s than it is now. I truly believe that people aren't allowed to be as rude as they were then ... "
Elizabeth came to public attention when she attended the film's London premiere wearing a Versace dress held together with safety pins and she was astounded by the reaction.
She went on to add: "'It was very strange. I’d been working for a few years, and in my mind, I thought I was quite famous – I had been in a few things.
"To my family, I was a success; but I had no idea what it actually meant to really be in the public eye. That was a real shock to one's psyche."
Elizabeth and Hugh were together for more than a decade before splitting in 2000 and they remained close friends, but the actress admits they don't see each other as much any more.
She said: "[I] think it gives you a bond when you sort of go to the trenches with someone. I mean, he's married with five children. I hardly ever see him, but he's still very close to my heart."
Hugh is now now dad to Tabitha, 12, and Felix, 11, with actress Tinglan Hong, as well as John, 11, an eight-year-old daughter and a five-year-old son with current wife Anna Eberstein and his former partner recently revealed the actor is a wonderful dad.
She told 'Radio Andy' host Andy Cohen: "He's got five. He's a very good dad. He has five children that worship him. They adore him. They sit on Daddy's knee and all that stuff."
