Elizabeth Hurley is "very grateful" she got the chance to repair her relationship with Steve Bing before his suicide in June.

Elizabeth Hurley and Steve Bing [Instagram]

Elizabeth Hurley and Steve Bing [Instagram]

The former couple had an acrimonious split after Steve, 55, initially denied he was the father of their son Damian, now 18, and demanded Elizabeth have a paternity split after he was born but Elizabeth has opened up about reconnecting with Steve 18 months before his death.

Speaking to The Mail On Sunday's You Magazine, Elizabeth, 55, said: "We hadn't been friends for a very long time. But about a year and a half ago he came back into our lives. It's very sad. I mean, it's just terrible. Horrific that it happened, but there is some comfort to know that we had made up and there was no bad feeling."

And Elizabeth revealed it was Steve who made the initial contact, saying: "Well, it's a bit complicated. Yes, actually he did reach out.

"None of it's really my story, because it's all to do with Damian. All I can say is that it was great to connect again with someone who… we had loved each other, very much. A long time ago.

"I'm actually very grateful that we had the chance to reconnect. There were no hard feelings left. In fact, there were a lot of positive feelings left. But it was a terrible thing to happen."

Elizabeth raised Damian alone and says the pair are extremely close because of it.

She explained: "Yes, we're very close. Thank goodness, because it's really just the two of us. We get most of the same things. Of course, he's left me streets behind because he's young and knows everything, but otherwise we have the same sensibility, which is great.

"Yeah, quite alike. And I've got some pictures of me around his age where there are a lot of facial similarities."