It’s hard to know what to expect in the world of celebrity dating, but Elizabeth Hurley and a bunny-eared Billy Ray Cyrus hard launching their relationship on Instagram over Easter was not on our bingo card.

The picture of the 90s icon wearing a plaid shirt and a straw hat kissing the controversial father of Miley Cyrus while leaning against a fence in a luscious green field feels like it’s lifted straight out of the Hannah Montana movie, but is this a happy ending fans can get behind? Not exactly, no.

While a few of Hurley’s nearest and dearest were quick to shower the new couple in support, with her son Damian Hurley commenting a heart emoji, Trinny Woodall writing ‘I hope you’re having the best time’ and Elizabeth Day commenting ‘happy easter’ with a bunny emoji, the widespread response is best captured by author Melissa Gilbert who wrote, ‘wait… what?’.

In fact, the consensus is disbelief. One user wrote, ‘Is anyone else wondering why she’s not seeing the red flags?’, another put, ‘Damn did all the other single men on earth die or what’, while a third commented, ‘run for your life girl!’.

The basis of their shock is Cyrus’ recent fall from grace. After breaking into the public sphere as a country singer in the ‘90s and cementing his status as a TV star playing his real-life daughter’s on-screen father in the hit Disney Channel series Hannah Montana in the noughties, Cyrus has become a figure of controversy in recent years.

Last August, his contentious divorce from the Australian singer Firerose was finalised less than a year after their wedding. A wedding Miley Cyrus is thought not to have attended following rumours of a rift between Cyrus and his family. Regardless, Cyrus and Firerose’s marriage became marred in abuse allegations, with both parties alleging physical, verbal and emotional abuse, and both denying the other’s claims.

In an interview with Page Six in June 2024, Firerose called Cyrus ‘an evil man’ and described his ‘systemic isolation’, alleging that he did not let her have a car during their marriage and only let her leave the house to go to the chiropractor and get her nails done once a month. The singer also claimed Cyrus was still married to his second wife Tish Cyrus when they started dating, that he prevented her from seeing friends and family during the course of their relationship and that their divorce was ‘excruciatingly painful’ and a ‘smear campaign’.

The day after the interview came out, Cyrus posted an image of a candle covered in rose petals with the word ‘fraud’ written over the top to his Instagram story, denying her claims. And in a statement shared with The Los Angeles Times after their divorce, a rep for Cyrus said he is ‘relieved to put this nightmare behind him’ and Cyrus called the marriage a ‘crazy insane scam’.

Since then, Cyrus’ public image has not exactly recovered. After he battled through technical difficulties to perform on stage at Donald Trump’s inauguration in January – drawing a lot of backlash in the process – his adopted son Trace Cyrus shared a cutting and candid open letter on social media. ‘Since my earliest memories all I can remember is being obsessed with you and thinking you were the coolest person ever,’ he wrote. ‘Sadly, the main that I wanted so desperately to be like I barely recognise now. It seems this world has beaten you down and it’s become obvious to everyone but you.’

Shortly after his first post, Trace shared a second message to say, ‘For you to threaten me with legal action for wanting you to get help is a disgrace. […] I will always love you, but I no longer respect you as a man. Everyone close to you is terrified to tell you how they really feel. I’m not. Get help.’

It’s a damning indictment from Cyrus’ son after a particularly thorny period. While a source told People that ‘Miley and Noah and Braison and Tish don’t want to be in this Cyrus family feud’, adding that ‘this is not enjoyable for them’ and they already ‘got through the drama of 2024’, it’s clear that there is tension in the family.

None of which has deterred Hurley. The pair met on the set of their 2022 Christmas film, Christmas in Paradise – the same year Cyrus started dating Firerose – however things only turned romantic recently.  ‘They’ve been friends for a long time, and both found themselves single at the same time,’ an insider told Page Six. ‘The romantic side only started a few weeks ago.’

In a 2022 interview about Christmas in Paradise, which scored a measly 11% on Rotten Tomatoes, Hurley admitted that she was drawn to the project in part for the ‘opportunity to work with Billy Ray’ who she has ‘long been a fan of’.

‘My son was the age where he used to watch Hannah Montana all the time, so of course, I used to watch it with him. I knew Billy Ray well from that, and of course, some of his music,’ she added. ‘That was a big plus.’

As a 59-year-old woman who has not publicly dated anyone since her engagement to Shane Warne was called off in 2013, Hurley is more than capable of making her own decisions – romantic or otherwise. Whichever way you look at it, though, Cyrus is a questionable choice. ‘Liz has been keeping the whole thing under wraps and has barely told anyone,’ a source told The Sun. ‘She wanted to make sure there was really something special between them before telling the world. He has had a really hard time, but she has been there helping him turn things around.’

And tell the world they have – despite being ‘very recent’, their Instagram hard launch has been picked up by media outlets around the world and sends a clear message that they are a new item.

‘Billy Ray and Liz have been through a lot in life and bonded over life experiences,’ a third insider told Us Weekly. ‘They really understand each other and Liz is a very compassionate person, which Billy Ray adores. She has been spending time with him on his farm in Nashville and they both enjoy the lowkey, nature-loving lifestyle. They have just been enjoying life together and wanted to make it public. They have nothing to hide and are very happy.’

They might have nothing to hide, but fans are less convinced about Cyrus. Let’s hope Hurley was prepared for a mixed response when she shared that Easter photograph – this is not a pairing that fans will warm to easily.