Elizabeth Hurley, 53, spent 2018 breaking the internet in swimwear

Words by Maggie Parker.

Whether it’s a bikini, a gown with a plunging neckline or simply a towel, Elizabeth Hurley wows in whatever she wears. The actress, model and swimwear pro turned a lot of heads in 2018, gifting her Instagram followers with what seemed like a little more skin in each post.

“It’s not just a mad ego trip,” Hurley told Yahoo in March about her frequent swimsuit pics. “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.”

Still, no one was complaining (except for when Hurley dared to step out in a dress with a plunging neckline — and her teenage son as her date — but more on that later).

Other women over 45 also took their turns in breaking the internet (sometimes with joy, other times angry judgment) in their bikinis — Jada Pinkett Smith’s mum Adrienne Banfield-Norris, Brooke Shields and Jennifer Lopez, for example. And that, Hurley shared with Yahoo, makes her very happy.

“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,” she said. “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.”

For a full lineup of reminders about how little age matters in confidence (or just to gawk repeatedly at Hurley), continue scrolling for all the times she’s shown extra skin this year.

The new year officially got off to a good start on Jan. 7, when Hurley posted a video of her dancing on a beach in a tiny pink string bikini.

With 644K views, this is one of her most watched Instagram videos ever, and after watching, you’ll understand why.

In the video set to a guitar soundtrack with a sunset in the background, the actress can be seen twirling and shimmying her heart out in a bikini of her own design from Elizabeth Hurley Beach.

Hurley kept hearts racing for the next week by posting a series of other swimsuit shots. “Trends come and trends go, but nothing beats a string bikini,” she captioned one photo of her in a blue two-piece.

She dived into February headfirst with a bikini-clad handstand, proving that the Elizabeth Hurley Beach bathing suits are cute and supportive.

She showed her followers some love on Valentine’s Day by forgoing her bikini top altogether, covering her breasts with a pink garment. Hurley enjoyed Valentine’s Day from her beach hammock, and commenters wrote things like “stop that grinnin and drop that linen!”

She re-created that photo in June, except instead of a hammock, it was a beach chair. And instead of a pink garment covering her breasts, it was a straw hat.

She captioned the post, “Three cheers for a divine English Summer.” Most of her followers are not fans of the hat. “Remove the hat please,” more than one commenter wrote. “Stupid hat!” someone else said. “Three cheers for you to move your hat lol,” wrote another. Others want to be the hat. “Three cheers for wanting to be a sun hat….”

Her love affair with one particular bikini from her collection began Feb. 23. She posted another video of her dancing in a two-piece, this time in the bright blue Olivia Bikini.

She posted another photo of her wearing that swimsuit on March 1, with the caption, “Oh lord, take me back.” She’s referring to Fregate Island, a private isle in the Seychelles that has 16 villas and seven beaches. “Bloody hell you’re like a female Benjamin Button,” one commenter said of the 53-year-old beauty.

The unashamed outfit-repeater threw on that two-piece months later.

In May, she graced the Maldives with her presence and brought her favorite bikini with her. She posted a fresh-out-of-water photo in which she sparkled more than the bright turquoise water behind her. “You put a Victoria’s secret model to shame!” one fan so boldly stated. And nobody argued.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. There were plenty of other bikini photos in between March and May.

At the end of March, she was in the Maldives. But instead of showing fans the glorious island she was vacationing on, she took followers into her bathroom for an even more exclusive view. In this unique mirror selfie, Hurley’s rocking her cheetah print Victoire Bikini.

And there are two reflections in the photo, one shows her whole body, and the other is a magnifying mirror, giving followers a close-up of her cleavage.

This shot earned her a few marriage proposals.

The next month, she jetted to Spain’s Tagomago Island. She posed straight on in a blue room in a blue bejeweled bikini giving her followers a full view of her impeccable body.

She celebrated International Bikini Day in a tiny turquoise string bikini, showing off her flat stomach, toned arms and amazing life thanks to a breathtaking backdrop.

Then, she took it to the next level, practically breaking the internet with a video of her goofing around in a pool. Topless. In the video she’s “attempting to swim off the calories” and then she pops out of the water, covering her breasts with her arms.

The video is her most watched of the year, with over 1.3 million views. ‘

She continued teasing her fans the following month by posing in nothing but a towel while enjoying a steam. Of course, her fans begged her to ditch the towel.

Many tried coming up with excuses for her to lend them her towel. “Ouch, I got soap in my eye….Quick give me a towel!” one wrote with a winking emoji. “The sauna don’t work with towels,” another follower said. Countless followers used the Chevy Chase quote, “Can I borrow your towel? My car just hit a water buffalo.”

They took the teasing further when she posted a video of her nearly naked body writhing on the floor as she sang along to “Besame Mucho.” She’s wearing nothing a teeny blue triangle bikini.

Her followers can’t stop commenting on how good she looks at 53, one asking, “where did you find the fountain of youth?” And another asked, “what’s your secret to looking so great?”

Then there were all the times in 2018 when she attempted to cover up but failed. In February she wore her Pixie Robe. But it barely covered everything her Cheetah Bikini left exposed.

A week later, she debuted her crochet Lizzie Robe, which she wore over nothing. She was completely topless under this soft garment, and her fans loved it. “Yes free the nipples!” someone joked.

In July, she dared to jump on a trampoline with little on and had to hold her sheer cover-up down to keep it front over-exposing.

And just last month she did a striptease on Instagram. She started in in her brand’s Kashmir Robe and stripped down to a tiny patterned pink bikini. She was dancing to the song, “Venus (Baby She’s Got It),” further proving she is the bikini-dancing queen.

But 2018 wasn’t all bikinis and beaches for Hurley. This woman could make a sweatshirt sexy—and she did once or twice this year.

But usually when she wasn’t wearing a bathing suit, she was rocking a gown, one of which got her into trouble. Her son Damian Hurley turned 16 in April and his mum celebrated by posting a photo of them together.

In the image, Hurley is in a plunging dress with colorful crystal embellishment. Commenters were quick to pass judgment on the 53-year-old’s attire, with one fan even calling her an “embarrassing mum.”

Another added, “Using this moment to ‘showcase her assets’ and focus the attention back on her.”

Someone else called the number “a tiny bit inappropriate,” with a user adding, “Your dress is way too revealing for a sophisticated elegant lady like you.” Others jumped to The Royals star’s defense, with multiple people calling her “stunning” and “beautiful,” while one individual wrote, “If you’ve got it… flaunt it.”

She turned heads again at a Thanksgiving dinner at United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom Woody Johnson’s London residence.

Hurley posted a series of photos to Instagram from the dinner, including a close-up of her black dress featuring a deep V-cut with a string detailing down the front. It was an interesting choice for a formal Thanksgiving dinner among diplomats, but her fans were grateful for it.

While Christmas is coming, cold weather won’t cause Hurley to cover up. In early December, she posted a mirror selfie debuting a new bathing suit from her brand, the hot pink Marissa Bikini.

“Plenty of va va boom push up,” she wrote in the caption. Someone pointed out, “You don’t need any va va boom!” Another quipped, “Push up?! I’d rather pull down.” Another said, “I should have asked Santa for you !”

Believe it or not, her most liked photo of the year isn’t even the most revealing. It’s a mirror selfie from September featuring the bombshell in a purple one-piece. Of course, she isn’t completely covered up.

The swimsuit has a plunging neckline, making it one of the most cleavage-baring bathing suits she’s rocked all year.

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