For years, the name Arun Nayar has appeared in headlines alongside British actress and model Elizabeth “Liz” Hurley. Many people know him simply as “Liz Hurley’s ex,” but far fewer actually know who he is, how old he is, or what he’s done outside of that high-profile marriage.
Behind the celebrity label is a British-Indian businessman and technology entrepreneur with deep roots in India’s textile trade and a long-running software and IT-services company. Understanding Arun Nayar’s age, background and relationship with Liz Hurley helps put their story—and his own career—into clearer perspective.
Quick Information Table
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Arun Nayar |
| Known for | Businessman, Liz Hurley’s ex-husband |
| Approx. birth year | 1964 |
| Approx. age (2025–26) | Around 60–61 years |
| Birthplace | Leeds, England |
| Heritage | Indian father, German mother |
| Raised in | Mumbai, India |
| Main business | Direction Software Solutions (IT/consulting) |
| Public spotlight | Marriage to Elizabeth Hurley (2007–2011) |
| Net worth (estimates) | Commonly cited around $200M (unofficial) |
Who Is Arun Nayar?
In simple terms, Arun Nayar is a British-Indian businessman and technology entrepreneur who became globally recognizable because of his marriage to actress Elizabeth Hurley. Media outlets have repeatedly described him as an “Indian textile heir,” reflecting both his family’s involvement in textiles and his own business success.
At the same time, he has spent decades building and leading Direction Software Solutions, an IT and consulting firm that works with international clients in areas like enterprise software, mobile solutions and digital transformation. Unlike many celebrity spouses, Nayar has largely stayed out of the spotlight, preferring to let his business record and low-key lifestyle speak for themselves.
Early Life and Multicultural Background
Most biographical sources agree that Arun Nayar was born in Burmantofts, Leeds, England, in 1964, into a mixed Indian-German family. His father, Vinod Nayar, was an Indian businessman involved in the textile trade, while his mother, often cited as Gunnar Nayar, came from Germany. That combination gave him both European and Indian cultural influences from the very beginning.
Shortly after Arun’s younger brother was born, the family moved from England to Mumbai (then Bombay), where his parents and grandparents built up significant textile and clothing-export activity. Several profiles note that his father’s side owned textile mills, while his mother launched her own export business, meaning that Arun grew up watching factory operations, overseas buyers and export paperwork long before he ever ran his own company.
Education and Path Into Business
Nayar’s education followed the pattern of an international, upper-middle-class business family. In Mumbai, he attended Cathedral and John Connon School, one of the city’s best-known private schools, then later studied at Millfield School in Somerset, England—an environment that reinforced his comfort moving between the U.K. and India.
After secondary school, he reportedly studied physics at Oxford University and then took a further degree in physics or related studies at Imperial College London. While details differ slightly between sources, the broad picture is consistent: he received a strong scientific education at top U.K. universities, which later fed into a data-driven, analytical approach to business and finance.
From Family Textiles to Direction Software Solutions
Like many children of business families, Arun Nayar is said to have started out working in his family’s textile export operation, gaining early experience in international trade, logistics and foreign clients. That background matters because it later shaped his comfort dealing with cross-border contracts and long-distance business relationships.
In the late 1990s, however, he shifted away from traditional textiles and moved into technology by co-founding Direction Software Solutions, headquartered in Mumbai but serving clients across Europe and Asia. Company profiles and industry write-ups describe Direction as a multi-location software services and consulting business that handles enterprise systems, mobile technology and outsourced development for global brands.
One of Direction’s divisions, Frozen Digit Technologies, focused on mobile games and apps during the early smartphone era, which positioned Nayar’s group at the intersection of software, entertainment and telecom long before those sectors fully exploded worldwide.
Arun Nayar’s Age and How It Compares to Liz Hurley
Most recent biographical round-ups place Arun Nayar’s birth in late 1964, often citing December 1964, though some celebrity-dating databases list a specific November date; either way, he is generally described as being in his early 60s as of the mid-2020s.
Elizabeth Hurley, by contrast, was born on June 10, 1965, which makes her only a few months younger than Nayar. When they married in 2007, both were in their early 40s, far from the typical “older tycoon, younger celebrity” stereotype often seen in tabloids. That relatively small age gap—and the fact that both were already established in their own fields—helped balance the relationship in the public eye, even though the press constantly emphasized Hurley’s star status more than Nayar’s business credentials.
Arun Nayar’s Family Ties and Private Personal Life
Although headlines usually mention Arun Nayar as Liz Hurley’s ex-husband, his life is closely rooted in family and long-standing friendships. Born to an Indian father and German mother, he grew up with a younger brother in a household that valued privacy and hard work, which helps explain his quiet public presence today.
After the high-profile years of his marriage, Nayar largely stepped back from celebrity circles and allowed his relatives, partners and business colleagues to live away from constant media glare. He appears at important occasions but rarely courts attention, keeping his personal world intentionally low-key and controlled.
How Arun Nayar’s Story Fits Into Liz Hurley’s Public Image
In Liz Hurley’s public story, Arun Nayar represents a period when her life blended British celebrity culture with Indian business and tradition. Their similar ages, cross-continental lifestyle and lavish Anglo-Indian wedding helped position Hurley as someone equally at ease in London society and among Rajasthan’s royal venues and Mumbai’s business elite.
For Nayar, that chapter showed how a relatively discreet entrepreneur can suddenly become tabloid famous and then quietly return to private work. Once the marriage ended, Hurley’s later relationships dominated headlines while he focused again on software, textiles and investments, letting his reputation rest on business rather than gossip.
Arun Nayar and Elizabeth Hurley: A High-Profile Romance
Arun Nayar entered the global gossip pages when he and Elizabeth Hurley began dating around late 2002. At that point, Hurley was already famous from roles in films like Austin Powers and long-running campaigns for Estée Lauder, while Nayar was known regionally as a wealthy businessman with strong links to India and the U.K.
The couple married in March 2007, first in a civil ceremony at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire, followed by a lavish multi-day celebration in India. Reports describe traditional Hindu festivities at Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, along with additional events at Nagaur and Mehrangarh forts, attended by an international guest list and heavily photographed by magazines that bought exclusive rights.
For much of their marriage, Hurley and Nayar split time between the U.K. and India, and Hurley’s young son Damian (from her prior relationship with Steve Bing) grew up seeing Nayar as a father figure. Although the relationship was glamorous on the surface, both parties later acknowledged strains that eventually led to separation.
Separation, Divorce and Life After the Marriage
By the end of 2010, Elizabeth Hurley announced publicly that she and Arun Nayar had separated months earlier. In April 2011, Hurley filed for divorce in London, citing Nayar’s “unreasonable behaviour” under English law; the divorce was finalized in mid-2011.
Despite the legal language, mainstream coverage emphasized that the split was relatively civil compared with many celebrity divorces. Hurley soon entered a new relationship with Australian cricketer Shane Warne, while Nayar kept a noticeably lower profile, surfacing occasionally in paparazzi photos with new partners. Several outlets later reported his brief marriage to Italian-born model Valentina Pedroni, followed by a short-lived marriage to model Kim Johnson, underscoring that his personal life continued to evolve after Hurley.
Interestingly, the emotional connection between Nayar and Hurley seems not to have vanished entirely. In 2024, both Nayar and Hurley’s former long-term partner Hugh Grant appeared together at the London premiere of Damian Hurley’s film Strictly Confidential, suggesting that, whatever the past issues, Nayar remains a supportive figure in Hurley’s family circle.
Net Worth, Lifestyle and Business Footprint
When people ask about Arun Nayar’s wealth, they usually see the same ballpark figure repeated: celebrity finance sites often estimate his net worth at around US $200 million, based on his family’s textile assets, his stake in Direction Software Solutions and broader investments.
Those estimates are just that—estimates—because Nayar doesn’t publicly disclose detailed financial statements. Still, the combination of legacy textiles, an established IT and consulting group, and years of international business dealings make it plausible that his fortune sits comfortably in the high eight or low nine figures. Rather than flaunting that wealth, he tends to appear only occasionally at high-society events and family milestones, a contrast to the more public profiles of many celebrity ex-spouses.
Two Different Men Named Arun Nayar
One detail that often confuses readers is that there are at least two high-profile businessmen named Arun Nayar.
Corporate filings from companies like GFL Environmental and Amcor describe an Arun Nayar in his 70s, a former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Tyco International and a senior advisor to McKinsey & Company, who sits on multiple North American boards. By contrast, Liz Hurley’s ex-husband is roughly a decade younger, tied to Direction Software Solutions and textile exports, and is not listed in those official board biographies.
For readers searching “Arun Nayar age” and “Liz Hurley,” it’s important to recognize that the finance-industry director in his 70s and the British-Indian entrepreneur born in the mid-1960s are separate individuals, even though lower-quality sites sometimes blend their résumés together.
Final Thoughts: Where Arun Nayar Fits in Liz Hurley’s Story
In the broader story of Liz Hurley’s life and age-defying public image, Arun Nayar occupies a specific chapter: he was the successful, similarly aged businessman who matched her in worldliness and helped bridge her life between Britain and India. Their marriage didn’t last, but it produced some of the most memorable cross-cultural celebrity wedding images of the 2000s and left behind enduring ties with Hurley’s son Damian and family.
Today, as both approach their early 60s, Hurley continues to work in film, fashion and television, while Arun Nayar quietly runs and advises businesses shaped by decades of experience in textiles and technology. Understanding his age, background and career gives more depth to a figure often reduced to just “Liz Hurley’s ex”—and shows how a relatively private entrepreneur ended up as part of one of the U.K.’s most talked-about love stories.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How old is Arun Nayar now?
Most reports say he was born in 1964, which puts his current age at about 60–61 years in the mid-2020s.
When did Arun Nayar and Liz Hurley get married?
They married in March 2007, first at Sudeley Castle in England, then with a grand Hindu ceremony in Jodhpur, India.
When did Arun Nayar and Elizabeth Hurley divorce?
Hurley filed for divorce in 2011, and the marriage was formally dissolved that June after roughly four years together.
What does Arun Nayar do for a living?
He is a British-Indian businessman linked to Direction Software Solutions and earlier family textile exports in India.
How old is Elizabeth Hurley compared to Arun Nayar?
Elizabeth Hurley was born on June 10, 1965, making her only a few months younger than Arun Nayar.
Does Arun Nayar have children?
There is no solid public evidence that he has biological children, but he helped raise Hurley’s son Damian during their marriage.
Why is Arun Nayar called a “textile heir”?
Media often describe him as a textile heir because his family built significant textile and export businesses in India.
Is Arun Nayar still close to Elizabeth Hurley’s family?
Yes, he has appeared at events supporting Hurley and Damian, showing that their bond continued after the divorce.
Where did Arun Nayar grow up?
He was born in Leeds but grew up mainly in Mumbai after his family moved back to India for business reasons.
What is Arun Nayar’s nationality?
He is usually described as British-Indian, reflecting his English birth and Indian family background.
Is Arun Nayar the same as the older finance executive on big company boards?
No, that’s a different Arun Nayar in his 70s who served as CFO of Tyco and sits on North American boards.
### How did Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar first get attention as a couple?
Their lavish Anglo-Indian wedding and her star status brought intense media coverage and made their relationship globally known.
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