A week after confirming their relationship, country star Billy Ray Cyrus has opened up about how his unexpected romance with actress Elizabeth Hurley blossomed.
Speaking on The Ty Bentli Show, the Achey Breaky Heart singer revealed that it all stemmed from an unexpected text his new beau sent him following their time together filming Christmas in Paradise in 2022.
While they had not spoken for an extended period of time, Billy Ray said upon reading her texts, he remembered how great their chemistry on set had been, and all the laughter they had shared with one another.
“I texted back, ‘Who is this?’ and it was Elizabeth Hurley. Of all the people to reach out to when I needed a friend most, it was her,” Billy shared candidly.
“The oddest part was, first, how much we laughed. Second, I figured we were so different, but in some very strange ways, we had way more in common than we had different,” he added.
Fans were surprised when Elizabeth shared a photo of Billy wearing rabbit ears and kissing her cheek to Instagram on April 20, with the caption “Happy Easter ♥️.”
“When she puts her cheek out there, I just kiss it — I can’t help it,” he also said on the podcast.
The country singer further described their relationship as “beautiful”, praised her son Damian, and also praised Elizabeth’s skills as a businesswoman. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been this happy,” he added.
An insider also told The Sun that marriage “could be on the cards” for the pair. “They have a lot in common and have the same interests. Billy is also very much her type – he has a real twinkle in his eye and a naughty streak that she can’t resist,” they said.
Since they made their relationship public, Elizabeth has shared more photos of them together. On April 28, she shared a photo of the pair cuddling, and one of them with his dog in a buggy. She captioned them “Tennessee weekend ❤️”.
An alleged secret kept from Miley
While there were mixed reactions in the comment section after they made their relationship debut, a source exclusively told New Idea that the singer allegedly did not tell his daughter Miley about the relationship.
“Of course, Miley didn’t know. She stays away from her dad as much as possible,” they said at the time.
“She won’t be happy about this – she’s about to launch an album and a movie, and this is going to overshadow it all!”
The three-time Grammy winner’s ninth studio album, Something Beautiful, will be released on May 30, 2025, and the accompanying film will be released sometime in June.
Prior to sharing the Easter photo, speculation about their relationship began when the model shared a reel of herself accompanied by Billy Ray’s song, She’s Not Cryin’ Anymore.
Who has Elizabeth Hurley dated?
Before her romance with Billy Ray Cyrus, Elizabeth Hurley dated Hugh Grant for 13 years, was married to businessman Arun Nayer from 2007 to 2011, and dated the late cricketer Shane Warne from 2010 to 2013.
She was also with businessman Steve Bing for 18 months, who is the father of her son, Damian Hurley.
The insider also told The Sun that Billy Ray had a similar energy to Shane. “Liz has a really good time with Billy, they share a lot of laughs, and he is a real flirt, which she loves,” they said.
Who has Billy Ray Cyrus dated?
Billy Ray was married to Tish Cyrus from 1993 to 2022 and shares children Miley, Noah, Brandi, Trace, and Braison with her.
Before Tish, the country singer dated Kristen Luckey and became a father to Christopher Cody.
What did Firerose do to Billy Ray?
Months after his separation from Tish, he dated Australian singer Firerose. They sparked engagement rumours when she posted a photo of herself to Instagram with a diamond ring on her ring finger.
Their engagement was then confirmed, and they got married in October 2023, but separated seven months later.
According to court documents obtained by People, Billy Ray filed for divorce. Irreconcilable differences and allegations of inappropriate marital conduct were cited as the reasons for divorce, along with Billy Ray seeking an annulment on the grounds of alleged fraud. Firerose denies any wrongdoing and similarly accused Billy Ray of acting inappropriately.
Their divorce was later settled.
Start your journey to find love for FREE today, with eHarmony.
