Good Woman Elizabeth Hurley! Her Breast Cancer Awareness Mission

Apparently Elizabeth Hurley 'bullies' her friends into getting screened for breast cancer - and even buys them mammograms for their birthdays. Hey, whatever works.

The 49-year-old actress - whose grandmother passed away from the disease in 1992 - believes it is vital to undergo regular mammograms and often pays for her pals to have the potentially life-saving checks.

She said: "I bully all my friends and families to check their own breasts every month and to have an annual mammogram if over 40. I have given mammograms to friends who can't afford one for their birthdays."

Elizabeth admits her grandmother was "frightened" to speak out when she first found a lump in her breast and thinks education on the disease was very limited when she was sick.

Talking to The Times about her grandmother's death, she said: "At that time, there was so little written about breast cancer. The pink ribbon had yet to be invented and the words 'breast cancer' were only whispered. My late grandmother hadn't told anyone about the lump she'd found in her breast for some time as she was frightened. Finally, she plucked up courage to tell her doctor but by this time it had grown significantly and the cancer had spread. She underwent a double mastectomy but it was too late and she died soon after."

Following her grandmother's tragic death, Elizabeth then started a campaign with Evelyn Lauder for the Estee Lauder Companies' Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign.

She said: "It wasn't until I started to learn about breast cancer through Evelyn Lauder that I began to feel so angry that I hadn't known more at the time, when perhaps I could have helped [my grandmother]."

I've said it before and I'll say it again - dwelling and denial gets you nowhere, especially when it comes to cancer. When it comes to cancer, timing is everything.