The unexpected duo hard-launched their relationship over Easter<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”credit-name” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Black Han Sans|||on|||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ header_4_font=”|||on|||||” header_4_text_align=”center” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]
Words by Nikki Peach<\/strong><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/04\/image_589d4a.webp” alt=”Jennifer Aniston” title_text=”image_589d4a” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”] It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s lifted straight out of the Hannah Montana<\/em> movie, but is this a happy ending fans can get behind? Not exactly, no.<\/p>\n While a few of Hurley\u2019s nearest and dearest were quick to shower the new couple in support, with her son Damian Hurley commenting a heart emoji, Trinny Woodall writing \u2018I hope you\u2019re having the best time\u2019 and Elizabeth Day commenting \u2018happy easter\u2019 with a bunny emoji, the widespread response is best captured by author Melissa Gilbert who wrote, \u2018wait\u2026 what?\u2019.<\/p>\n In fact, the consensus is disbelief. One user wrote, \u2018Is anyone else wondering why she\u2019s not seeing the red flags?\u2019, another put, \u2018Damn did all the other single men on earth die or what\u2019, while a third commented, \u2018run for your life girl!\u2019.<\/p>\n The basis of their shock is Cyrus\u2019 recent fall from grace. After breaking into the public sphere as a country singer in the \u201890s and cementing his status as a TV star playing his real-life daughter\u2019s on-screen father in the hit Disney Channel series Hannah Montana<\/em> in the noughties, Cyrus has become a figure of controversy in recent years.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s marriage became marred in abuse allegations, with both parties alleging physical, verbal and emotional abuse, and both denying the other\u2019s claims.<\/p>\n In an interview with Page Six<\/em> in June 2024, Firerose called Cyrus \u2018an evil man\u2019 and described his \u2018systemic isolation\u2019, 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 \u2018excruciatingly painful\u2019 and a \u2018smear campaign\u2019.<\/p>\n The day after the interview came out, Cyrus posted an image of a candle covered in rose petals with the word \u2018fraud\u2019 written over the top to his Instagram story, denying her claims. And in a statement shared with The Los Angeles Times<\/em> after their divorce, a rep for Cyrus said he is \u2018relieved to put this nightmare behind him\u2019 and Cyrus called the marriage a \u2018crazy insane scam\u2019.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-quote” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font=”Libre Bodoni|||on|||||” header_2_text_align=”center” header_2_text_color=”#333333″ header_2_font_size=”40px” header_2_line_height=”1.2em” global_colors_info=”{}”] Since then, Cyrus\u2019 public image has not exactly recovered. After he battled through technical difficulties to perform on stage at Donald Trump\u2019s inauguration in January \u2013 drawing a lot of backlash in the process \u2013 his adopted son Trace Cyrus shared a cutting and candid open letter on social media. \u2018Since my earliest memories all I can remember is being obsessed with you and thinking you were the coolest person ever,\u2019 he wrote. \u2018Sadly, the main that I wanted so desperately to be like I barely recognise now. It seems this world has beaten you down and it\u2019s become obvious to everyone but you.\u2019<\/p>\n Shortly after his first post, Trace shared a second message to say, \u2018For you to threaten me with legal action for wanting you to get help is a disgrace. [\u2026] 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\u2019m not. Get help.\u2019<\/p>\n It’s a damning indictment from Cyrus\u2019 son after a particularly thorny period. While a source told People that \u2018Miley and Noah and Braison and Tish don\u2019t want to be in this Cyrus family feud\u2019, adding that \u2018this is not enjoyable for them\u2019 and they already \u2018got through the drama of 2024\u2019, it\u2019s clear that there is tension in the family.<\/p>\n None of which has deterred Hurley. The pair met on the set of their 2022 Christmas film, Christmas in Paradise<\/em> \u2013 the same year Cyrus started dating Firerose\u00a0\u2013 however things only turned romantic recently. \u00a0\u2018They\u2019ve been friends for a long time, and both found themselves single at the same time,\u2019 an insider told Page Six<\/em>. \u2018The romantic side only started a few weeks ago.\u2019<\/p>\n In a 2022 interview about Christmas in Paradise<\/em>, which scored a measly 11% on Rotten Tomatoes, Hurley admitted that she was drawn to the project in part for the \u2018opportunity to work with Billy Ray\u2019 who she has \u2018long been a fan of\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018My son was the age where he used to watch Hannah Montana<\/em> 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,\u2019 she added. \u2018That was a big plus.\u2019<\/p>\n 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 \u2013 romantic or otherwise. Whichever way you look at it, though, Cyrus is a questionable choice. \u2018Liz has been keeping the whole thing under wraps and has barely told anyone,\u2019 a source told The Sun<\/em>. \u2018She 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.\u2019<\/p>\n And tell the world they have \u2013 despite being \u2018very recent\u2019, 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.<\/p>\n \u2018Billy Ray and Liz have been through a lot in life and bonded over life experiences,\u2019 a third insider told Us Weekly<\/em>. \u2018They 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.\u2019<\/p>\n They might have nothing to hide, but fans are less convinced about Cyrus. Let\u2019s hope Hurley was prepared for a mixed response when she shared that Easter photograph \u2013 this is not a pairing that fans will warm to easily.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider color=”#111111″ divider_position=”center” divider_weight=”2px” module_class=”custom-divider” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text module_class=”credit-texts” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|||on|||||” text_orientation=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”] Photo: <\/b>Instagram via @Elizabethhurley1<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This is not a celebrity duo anyone had on their bingo card…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":8689,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"guestgrazia","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8681"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8681\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8738,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8681\/revisions\/8738"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}‘They have nothing to hide and are very happy’<\/h2>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]