Of all the showbiz romances that could have happened this year, Liz Hurley and Billy Ray Cyrus was not a pairing that celebrity spies would have foreseen.
British actress and model Liz, 59, and Achy Breaky Heart singer Billy Ray, 63, went Instagram-official on Easter Sunday, sharing a photo of them together in co-ordinated outfits with him kissing her on the cheek.
Their relationship – which comes 11 months after the country star’s split from his latest wife, Firerose – has taken many people by surprise, but insiders reveal to Closer that no one was more stunned by the pairing than Billy Ray’s daughter, Miley.
‘Miley was shocked, as was her mum Tish,’ says our source. ‘She’s been rolling her eyes and predicts it won’t last; that the moment he shows his true colours, Liz will ditch him. Miley’s not giving the romance much long-term hope, but it’s not her style to speak out and bash her dad. She’s sceptical and assumes this is more of a publicity-seeking romance, and that Liz will spit Billy Ray out soon enough.’
The insider adds, ‘Miley and Billy Ray’s relationship is pretty non-existent these days, and that saddens her because they used to be so close. Her biggest hope is that he’ll get his act together and everyone can be peaceful again.’
Once very close, relations between Miley and her dad – who both starred on Disney teen sitcom Hannah Montana together – are thought to have been strained since his bitter divorce from her mum in 2022. They have reportedly not spoken in years. Miley didn’t attend his wedding to Firerose in 2023 and failed to include him in her acceptance speech at the 2024 Grammy Awards when she won Record Of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for Flowers, which some interpreted as a snub.
While she denied an ‘estrangement’, Miley has revealed, ‘It’s just the way things are played’.
Liz and Billy Ray’s romance comes after a rocky year for the country crooner, and less than a year after his divorce from Firerose, amid accusations of abuse and allegations of fraud.
Despite their doubters, and with none of his family ‘liking’ the post, Liz and Billy Ray – who first met in 2021 when they starred together in the 2022 Netflix movie Christmas In Paradise – are enjoying their new romance, which has the approval of Liz’s son Damian, 23.
‘Liz and Billy Ray are loving the attention and telling people they’re both going with the flow and seeing where it takes them,’ the insider tells Closer. ‘They’re spending a ton of time together, in Nashville and LA mainly, and Billy Ray’s also excited to travel to London and get a proper sense of Liz’s world.
‘Billy Ray is a very charming, smooth-talking character and Liz does love a bad boy who’s rich on life experience and carries himself with confidence. This new match-up isn’t sitting well with a lot of her friends, who think it’s a recipe for disaster. But Liz is laughing off any concern and telling people she’s a big girl who can take care of herself.’