Liz Hurley was at her nephew’s bedside yesterday after the 21-year-old was stabbed by a gang in a road rage attack.

Miles Hurley was set upon by thugs and knifed in the back multiple times after overtaking their car moments earlier, leading to a minor collision, police said last night.

The model and a friend, also 21, were chased until they pulled over on a road behind Battersea Power Station in south-west London.

Four men then got out of their car and stabbed the pair several times.

One wound narrowly missed severing Mr Hurley’s spine. He remains in hospital, but police said the victims’ injuries were ‘not life-threatening or life-changing’.

Miss Hurley, 52, flew back from a promotional tour in the US to be by his side. In an emotional Instagram post on Saturday, the actress branded his attackers ‘animals’.

Elizabeth Hurley (right) and Miles Hurley attend the DSQUARED2 celebration of London Flagship Opening on April 21, 2015

‘My 21 year old nephew @mileshurley1 was brutally attacked by four men in London on Thursday night,’ she said. ‘He was repeatedly stabbed and lost more than four pints of blood.

‘The deepest wound just missed severing his spine. By some miracle no vital organs were damaged.

‘We are praying that these animals are caught before they maim, or even kill, someone else.’

Mr Hurley, who is the son of Miss Hurley’s older sister Kate Curran, is very close to his aunt.

The model, who was scouted at 13 and has done shoots for Dolce & Gabbana, took Miss Hurley’s surname after launching his career.

On the day of the attack he had paid tribute to her in a post celebrating International Women’s Day, writing: ‘Love & appreciation for all the strong, happy and independent women around me.’

The attack comes as London faces a stabbing epidemic, with knife crime rising 27 per cent in the past year.

Last night the Metropolitan Police confirmed that road rage was a line of inquiry.

A spokesman said the stabbing occurred after the victims ‘became involved in a verbal altercation with the occupants of another car following a minor collision’.