HOLLYWOOD - It looks as though Elizabeth Hurley was right all along.DNA tests have proved that producer and real estate tycoon Steve Bing is the father of her son Damian, The Associated Press reports.
The test results revealed in the Family Division of the high Court in London bring an end to a very public battle over the child's paternity.
"Recently conducted tests have shown that Steve Bing is the biological father of Elizabeth Hurley's son, Damian," a spokeswoman for Bing said in a statement.
Hurley gave birth to the boy in London on April 4. Since she announced her pregnancy in November, the 36-year-old Austin Powers star has been involved in a very public feud with Bing, the man she always maintained was the baby's father.
According to Hurley, she and Bing were in an exclusive relationship when she became pregnant, but he has denied being the father and issued a public statement casting doubt on whether the baby was his. Bing says their 18-month relationship was "not exclusive."
Hurley insists she was faithful to Bing. "This is the first I had heard of this and the implications are very painful, especially as I am shortly to give birth to his child,'' Hurley said in a statement in December. "I'm deeply distraught."
Bing wanted a DNA test to prove paternity, which could only be carried out once the baby was born, and began legal proceedings two week's after Damian's birth.
At the time, Bing's spokeswoman told the AP, "If it is proved that Mr. Bing is Damian's father, he would wish generously to support him and be involved in his upbringing."
But Hurley later expressed hopes that the matter could be resolved without resorting to lawyers.
Bing is a Hollywood producer and the grandson of millionaire New York real estate magnate Leo Bing. Hurley could now collect millions of dollars in child support until Damian is at least 18.