Poor old Liz Hurley. Old being the operative word. The actress/model/whatever made famous by "That Dress" has been dumped as the face of make-up company Estee Lauder for a younger model.
The 36-year-old has been replaced by American catwalk queen and actress Carolyn Murphy (26) to front the make-up range. Hurley has been given a much-reduced role, continuing to feature in perfume ads and make personal appearances in aid of breast cancer awareness.
A dedicated clotheshorse, Hurley shot to fame in 1994 after she wore a dress held together by safety pins while attending a film premiere with her boyfriend Hugh Grant. Since then she has focused on acting, producing and party-going, but her biggest cash-cow was the multi-million pound contract with Estee Lauder.
Hurley found herself in the headlines for standing by her man when Grant was arrested in LA for lewd conduct with a prostitute. They have since gone their separate ways but remain "good friends".
The, ahem, redefining of her role illustrates how, in cosmetics as in fashion, consistency is a dirty word. Beautiful French actress Catherine Deneuve was recently named the face of L'Oreal, despite being a whopping 22 years older than Hurley. Deneuve is reported to have insisted on a contract clause which prevents her wrinkles being airbrushed out of publicity shots. Conversely, it seems Estee Lauder don't want Hurley selling their anti-wrinkle cream because she has a few crows feet.
But her employers aren't saying that, of course. "The joint decision to redefine Ms Hurley's involvement in Estee Lauder's advertising campaigns was made in an effort to accommodate her expanding film and producing projects," a company spokesman said.
Not surprisingly Hurley, who strutted her stuff on Grafton Street last month, is insisting that she is chuffed with this development. "This new deal works perfectly for me. I'm going to travel a lot more and attend many more public events which I prefer to sitting in a dark studio all day," she trilled. Yah, right as the model might say herself.