Model Elizabeth Hurley and singer Billy Ray Cyrus surprised fans last weekend when they hard-launched their relationship on social media ― but, according to Cyrus, their romance had actually been brewing for some time.
Appearing on Apple Music Country’s “The Ty Bentli Show” Thursday, Cyrus recalled meeting Hurley on the set of the 2022 film “Christmas in Paradise,” also starring Kelsey Grammer.
“The oddest part was first, how much we laughed,” he explained, according to excerpts of the interview that appeared in People and Entertainment Tonight. “Second, I figured we were so different, but in some very strange way, we had way more in common than we had different.”
Though the country musician noted “there was a chemistry” between him and Hurley from the get-go, they didn’t reconnect until about two years later via text, when he was experiencing a difficult period.
“I felt like, ‘Wow, can life get any harder? Can it get any tougher?’ For me, at a certain point it was like, you can’t get knocked down any flatter than laying on your back when life is kicking you,” Cyrus said. “And in this moment… a friend reached out.”
Hurley’s text, he said, read along the lines of: “Hey, it looks like life might be a little bit tough and just wanted you to know I’m in your corner; you’ve got a friend in your corner.”
“So I text back, I go, ‘Who is this?’ And it’s like, ‘Elizabeth Hurley,’” he added. “Of all the people to reach out to me in that second that maybe I needed most… this friend who made me laugh.”
Though Cyrus didn’t go into any specifics about what his difficult period entailed, the two-time Grammy winner and ex-wife Firerose divorced last year after just seven months of marriage. By all accounts, the split was highly contentious.
And in January, Cyrus’ performance at one of President Donald Trump’s inaugural festivities was widely panned after he appeared to encounter issues with the venue’s audio system throughout the set. Days later, Cyrus’ son Trace responded to the performance with an open letter on Instagram in which he urged his father to seek help while hinting at a lengthy estrangement.
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Elsewhere in his chat with Bentli, Cyrus said he and Hurley had “no expectations of where we go from here” just yet. He also gave a shout-out to Hurley’s 21-year-old son, Damian, who earlier this week gave his mom’s relationship his seal of approval on Instagram.
“It’s great that God brought them into my life when he did. It’s just a good thing,” Cyrus said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been this happy.”
Listen to Billy Ray Cyrus’ full interview on “The Ty Bentli Show” here.
