By Sarah Gordon
Hard at work: Do not be fooled by Jennifer Aniston's relaxed pose, she is actually hard at work promoting Mexican tourism
There we were thinking those pictures of Jennifer Aniston sunning herself on a Mexican beach were simply a treat as she celebrated her 41st birthday.
But apparently her stay at the $9,000-a-night villa at Cabo San Lucas wasn't about enjoyment, it was for the good of the Mexican people.
Aniston has spent the last few days with celebrity pals soaking up the sunshine and hospitality in Mexico's popular Baja California peninsular, which is a favourite holiday destination for the actress.
However, Ms Aniston is insisting that the break was actually an act of philanthropy, a charitable act that came to pass after rumoured boyfriend Gerard Butler suggested it was a good way to show people that Mexico is still a great holiday destination despite bad publicity over the swine flu outbreak and drug-related violence.
"He said to me, ’You come to Mexico all the time and Mexico is really hurting right now because of the swine flu and the drug trafficking and all of this sort of stuff but it’s not all of Mexico,'" she explained. “These people survive on us coming down and spending money and coming here to these beautiful places.
“It sort of made sense to sort of say ‘Hey, let’s help out Mexico,’” continued Aniston
Helping hand: The Friends star even roped in Courtney Cox and Sheryl Crow to help with her work
In her bid to 'help out Mexico' Aniston enlisted A-list pals Courtney Cox and Sheryl Crow to spend a few days sunning themselves to showcase one of the country's most luxurious places to stay.
At the One & Only Palmilla resort, the stars worked hard, sunbathing, gossiping and being photographed by the pools while enjoying 24-hour butler service, the spa and five restaurant and bar options.
Humanitarian holiday: Gerard Butler also joined the girls on their trip
The actress even managed to fit in a little promotional work, launching Farita dolls which are being sold in conjunction with the resort to raise funds for an orphanage in the northern city of Tijuana which she visited.
source: dailymail