“There was a chemistry” — Billy Ray Cyrus opens up about meeting Elizabeth Hurley on set of Christmas in Paradise amid new romance
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Billy Ray Cyrus and Elizabeth Hurley (Photo: Everett Collection)Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus recently discussed his "beautiful" relationship with Elizabeth Hurley. During his interview on Apple Music Country's The Ty Bentli Show on Thursday, April 24, 2025, Cyrus discussed reconnecting with Hurley after working together on a film.
The pair met while shooting for their 2022 film Christmas in Paradise. Talking about their time on the sets, the Achy Breaky Heart hitmaker told Ty Bentli they had "chemistry," elaborating:
"We did very few scenes together but the couple times we were in the same scene there was a chemistry."
Cyrus added:
"We just laughed and it was at a time I wasn't laughing a lot, and I found it the oddest thing."
Cyrus and Hurley announced their relationship in a joint Instagram post shared on Easter Sunday. It featured the couple leaning on a wooden fence, with the musician kissing Hurley on the cheek.
"We had way more in common than we had different"- Billy Ray Cyrus about Elizabeth Hurley
While talking to Ty Bentli, Billy Ray Cyrus confessed to feeling "intimidat(ed)" as an actor when he met Elizabeth Hurley for the first time. But continued to note that the "oddest part" about their on-set chemistry was:
"First, how much we laughed. Second, I figured we were so different, but in some very strange way, we had way more in common than we had different."
The country star noted that they lost touch after the production ended.
Around that time, Billy Ray Cyrus and his then-wife Tish Cyrus headed for a divorce after being separated for two years (April 2022). They were together for 29 years and share five children: Miley, Noah, Brandi, Trace, and Braison.
He soon began dating Australian singer Firerose, and the pair tied the knot in October 2023. However, they were divorced after just seven months of marriage. Referring to the tumultuous time in his life, Billy Ray Cyrus told Ty:
"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 in the gut."
It was amidst this "hardship" that Elizabeth Hurley reached out via text message, and they reconnected. The musician explained that she wanted to let him know that she was in his "corner." He asserted that of all the people to offer him support at the time, her text was what "(he) needed most."
He even compared her with country icon Johnny Cash, who similarly reached out to him in 1992, when critics were giving him a "good pounding." Cash, too, told him he was in his corner.
When Ty asked Billy Ray Cyrus to confirm the nature of his relationship with Hurley, the singer remained elusive. He referred to her as the "friend that made (him) laugh," adding:
"If all we ever were (is) the friends that we are, I would take that."
Cyrus noted that his newfound romance with Elizabeth Hurley has been "beautiful", adding he has no "expectations" of where their paths would lead them. Talking about Hurley's son Damian, Cyrus said:
"Other than her and her son—I do love him a lot, and it's great that God brought them into my life when he did. It's just a good thing. It's been a long time since I've been this happy."
Billy Ray Cyrus and Elizabeth Hurley have been enjoying their stay at the singer's Tennessee ranch. On Sunday, the actress shared a series of photos on Instagram with Cyrus as they toured the property.
Hurley has not publicly commented on their relationship otherwise.
TOPICS: Billy Ray Cyrus, Elizabeth Hurley, Tish Cyrus