Charlize Theron showed off her fabulous bikini body

Charlize Theron looked happier than ever as hit the beach with boyfriend Stuart Townsend in Malibu.

The 33-year-old, who was sporting a revealing patterned bikini - showed off her body boarding skills as the Irish actor looked on.

The actress’s dog Tucker also got in on the act and joined the laughing South African in the water.

Fun in the sun: The actress with Irish boyfriend Stuart Townsend last month

Splashing around: Charlize showed off her fabulous bikini body as she enjoyed a spot of body surfing

Charlize and Stuart have been happily together for seven years and she says that their relationship has changed her for the better.

'He got through to me on a level that no one else did. Stuart made me softer. He was one of the few guys who wasn’t afraid of me. What he saw was not toughness but vulnerability,' she told Elle magazine.

Beach fun: Charlize's dog Tucker joins her in the water

The star also explained why she has no plans to marry the 35-year-old.

'I want to know that I wake up every morning with him because I want to, not because a piece of paper says so,’ she said.

Theron won an Oscar in 2003 for her role in Monster but her own life has been packed with drama.

When she was just 15 she witnessed her mother shoot her father dead at the family home in South Africa. Her mother opened fire on her husband in self-defence against his domestic violence.