How Elizabeth Hurley And Billy Ray Cyrus Went From Co-Stars To A Real-Life Couple: A Timeline

Hollywood is no stranger to unexpected romances, but few have raised as many eyebrows, or even smiles, as the pairing of Austin Powers star Elizabeth Hurley and country music icon Billy Ray Cyrus. While both of them have a fair share of history when it comes to whirlwind romances, fans were surprised to find out that the Christmas in Paradise co-stars were getting romantically involved in real life. And now, the duo has emerged as one of Hollywood’s most talked-about celebrity couples.

On Easter 2025, Elizabeth Hurley and Billy Ray Cyrus made their relationship Instagram official. The Bedazzled actress shared a cosy photo of Billy Ray kissing her cheek against the rustic backdrop of her English countryside estate, simply captioned “Happy Easter.” Instantly, the unexpected couple became a trending topic, especially after reports claimed Billy Ray’s ex-wife, Tish Cyrus, had suspected a spark between them back in 2022 while filming Christmas in Paradise. Nevertheless, insiders maintain that the romance began well after the project wrapped.

Since going public, Hurley and Cyrus have been inseparable, vacationing at her countryside estate in England, making red carpet appearances, and bonding with Hurley’s son, Damian. They made headlines again after Elizabeth’s recent Instagram post featuring sweet Easter selfies from their trip to Tennessee. Here’s how their once-low-key friendship evolved into one of Hollywood’s most surprising love stories, with a dash of controversy.

2022: Elizabeth Harley and Billy Ray Cyrus find real chemistry during shooting

If reports are to be believed, Elizabeth and Billy Ray’s paths crossed for the first time in 2022 while filming Christmas in Paradise in the Caribbean. The festive comedy show saw Hurley portraying ‘Joanna Christmas’ and Cyrus as ‘Jimmy Love.’ Although they only shared a few scenes in the show, those behind-the-scenes moments were enough for real sparks to fly. 

After their official announcement, in a chat on The Ty Bentli Show, Billy Ray shared how his connection with Elizabeth was as unexpected as one would hope, given that the singer was going through a rough patch and was not particularly in a happy place. Remembering their time on the set and how they laughed a lot, the singer-actor shared:

“We did very few scenes together, but the couple of times we were in the same scene, there was chemistry. We just laughed, and it was at a time I wasn’t laughing a lot, and I found it the oddest thing.”

Though they shared instant rapport, the timing wasn’t right. Billy Ray was navigating the early stages of separation from his wife of 28 years, Tish Cyrus. After years of struggling to make the marriage work, the former couple officially separated, both claiming to be victims of abuse in their marriage. 

Elizabeth Hurley’s random message in 2024 that changed everything

After working together in the Caribbean in 2022, Billy Ray Cyrus and Elizabeth Hurley reportedly lost touch. But two years later, something happened that Cyrus would later describe as ‘life-altering.’ During that time, the singer went through several personal challenges, including a short-lived marriage to singer Firerose in 2023, which ended in divorce in less than a year, leaving him feeling emotionally drained and broken.

After his separation from Firerose in 2024, a random message popped up on Billy Ray’s phone one day. It was a simple yet heartfelt message from Elizabeth, someone he had least expected to reach out. In his 2025 interview, the country singer recalled struggling emotionally at that moment, and he didn’t even have her number saved. He shared on The Ty Bentli Show:

“I didn’t even know the number, and it’s like, ‘Hey, it looks like life might be a little bit tough, and just wanted you to know I’m in your corner. You got a friend in your corner.’ So, I text back, I go, ‘Who is this?’ And it’s like, ‘Elizabeth Hurley.’ Of all the people to reach out to me in that second that maybe I needed most… this friend who made me laugh.”

Cyrus reflected on how Elizabeth re-entered his life at the most unexpected time and brought a sense of healing and joy. As single parents, the two found comfort and connection in each other’s shared experiences. Billy Ray admitted it had been a long time since he felt this happy, expressing gratitude for both Elizabeth and her son, Damian, saying they came into his life exactly when he needed them most. Speaking about their relationship, Cyrus noted:

“It’s just been beautiful, and again, no expectations of where we go from here 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.”

Easter 2025: Elizabeth and Billy Ray make their relationship official

On Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, the internet went into collective meltdown when Elizabeth and Billy Ray made their romance Instagram official. The post showed Billy Ray, donning bunny ears, kissing her cheek. 

Just days after the couple went public, suspicions about infidelity surfaced when Billy Ray’s ex-wife, Tish Cyrus, claimed that she had suspected a connection between him and Elizabeth back in 2022, when they were filming Christmas in Paradise. A source told the Daily Mail that the two never lost contact and said:

“Billy Ray met Elizabeth in 2022 on the set of their Christmas film… Tish had her thoughts and suspicions at the time that he was cheating on her with Liz, but Billy Ray flat-out denied it… Seeing that they are together now is a slap in the face for Tish, but it also confirms that she was likely right about her suspicions. They never stopped being in contact.”

Meanwhile, some other insiders claimed that Elizabeth was ‘good for him,’ as she gave Billy Ray a reason to smile again. The singer, however, remained unfazed by the buzz and praised Hurley as a ‘great human being.’

Elizabeth and Billy Ray are one of Hollywood’s hottest couples in 2025

Following their Easter announcement, Elizabeth and Billy Ray were spotted together on several occasions, both online and in public. From Cyrus referring to Hurley as ‘my girlfriend’ in an Instagram comment to their joint appearance at the Hot Pink Party for breast cancer research, the couple quickly became more visible. 

They also made their red carpet debut in Rome at the Orizzonti | Rosso Exhibition, accompanied by Elizabeth’s 23-year-old son, Damian. So far, it seems the couple has finally found the happiness that they were looking for.

As far as whirlwind romances go, few have felt as surprising, yet strangely fitting, as Elizabeth Hurley and Billy Ray Cyrus. Only time will tell where their love story heads, but for now, it's thriving.

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