British actress and model Elizabeth Hurley made international headlines this week after her new romance with country music star Billy Ray Cyrus went public.
The Austin Powers star, 59, set the internet alight when she shared a picture of herself and the crooner, 63, sharing a kiss at Easter to her millions of followers.
Cyrus then confirmed their relationship on Apple Music Country’s The Ty Bentli Show, saying: “It’s been a long time since I’ve been this happy.”
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He said the duo had struck up a friendship on the set of the 2022 film Christmas in Paradise shortly after separating from his ex-wife of 28 years, Tish Cyrus.
Cyrus said the pair didn’t speak for two years after the movie, and he entered a difficult period of his life and went through a divorce from singer Firerose.
He then received a text from Hurley saying he’d always have her as a friend, and their romance blossomed from there.
“Of all the people to reach out to me in that second that maybe I needed most… this friend who made me laugh,” he said.
Now he’s happy to see where things go in their relationship, adding that he “loves” spending time with her son Damian, 23.
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“It’s great that God brought them into my life when he did. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this happy,” he concluded.
Prior to the official confirmation, Hurley appeared to drop a major clue about their romance that we all missed – with the actress sharing a video of herself enjoying a sunset swim in the Maldives on Instagram, set to Cyrus’ song She’s Not Cryin’ Anymore.
In her post, Hurley tagged the resorts she stayed at as well as the singer, perhaps implying they had holidayed together in the tropical paradise.
But Hurley has certainly had an interesting dating life over the years – and long before she debuted her romance with Miley Cyrus’ dad.
Hurley has dated a string of high-profile men who’ve not only become her lovers but also her best friends. From actor Hugh Grant to late Aussie cricketer Shane Warne, she has managed to maintain friendships with all.
“All of my boyfriends, husbands and fiancés have been my best friends, so it’s a terrible gap they leave,” she admitted to UK magazine Red in April 2019.
Here’s a look back at Hurley’s dating history.
Hugh Grant
Hurley’s relationship with Hugh Grant is arguably her most famous to date. They were the epitome of a movie star couple – she with that Versace safety-pin dress and he with the dashing rom-com smile.
The pair met in 1987 on the set of drama Rowing with the Wind and stayed together for 13 years.
Their relationship was rocked by scandal in 1995 when Grant was busted cheating on Hurley with sex worker Divine Brown.
“Last night I did something completely insane. I have hurt people I love and embarrassed people I work with. For both things, I am more sorry than I can ever possibly say,” he said in a public statement at the time.
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Hurley stood by her man and continued their relationship before eventually parting ways in 2000. Still, despite the cheating scandal, she only has nice things to say about the actor, who she calls her best friend and is the godfather of her only child, Damian.
“I’m very lucky that 31 years into our friendship, he’s still my best friend in the world. He’s a really great guy,” she told E! News in 2018. “Yeah, I see him a lot, I speak to him a lot. You know, he’s now a father of five, he has five kids and he’s a great dad. He’ll remain my best friend for life.”
Grant is now married to Swedish producer Anna Elisabet Eberstein.
Steve Bing
The model dated late businessman Steve Bing for 18 months in the early 2000s.
They split in 2002 and shortly after Hurley discovered she was pregnant with Damian, who she welcomed in April 2002.
Bing initially denied the claims but a paternity test later confirmed he was the father.
“Ms Hurley and I were not in an exclusive relationship when she became pregnant. It is her choice to be a single mother,” Bing said in a statement at the time.
“If indeed I am the father, I will be an extremely involved and responsible parent.”
Although the exes no longer interacted in public, Hurley revealed that they had become close again before his sudden death on June 22, when the businessman reportedly took his own life.
“I am saddened beyond belief that my ex Steve is no longer with us. It is a terrible end,” she paid tribute on Instagram.
“Our time together was very happy and I’m posting these pictures because although we went through some tough times, it’s the good, wonderful memories of a sweet, kind man that matter. In the past year we had become close again. We last spoke on our son’s 18th birthday. This is devastating news and I thank everyone for their lovely messages.”
Steve Nash
After her split from Bing in 2001, Hurley briefly dated former NBA player Steve Nash.
A rep for the athlete confirmed the relationship to Sports Illustrated at the time, revealing, “They just vibed. The relationship is authentic.”
Arun Nayar
Indian textiles heir and businessman Arun Nayar began dating Hurley in late 2002 after they were introduced over dinner by a mutual friend.
Five years later, they married in not one, but two lavish ceremonies in the month of March 2007 – the first a Christian ceremony held at Sudeley Castle in England and the second a lavish Hindu ceremony at the Umaid Bhawan Palace hotel in Jodhpur, India.
Sadly, they split in December 2010, with their divorce finalised in 2011.
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Hurley opened up about their divorce, saying contrary to reports it was amicable and she never went after his reported US$200 million fortune (approx. $288 million).
“I personally have never received a penny from anybody, any boyfriend, any husband, in my entire life. I’ve never wanted to, I’ve never needed to,” she told Tatler in February 2020.
“My husband [Nayar] and I had the most amicable divorce in the world and my lawyer said it was the cheapest case she’d ever handled because neither of us wanted anything. I pay for everything myself and I’m very happy that way.”
Like her other exes, Hurley and Nayar have maintained a friendship and are often seen holidaying and having dinner together.
Shane Warne
Around the time of her split with Nayar, Hurley was linked to late Aussie cricketer Shane Warne after they were spotted kissing outside a London. But the model quickly set the record straight, revealing she had already split with Nayar at the time.
“For the record, my husband Arun & I separated a few months ago. Our close family & friends were aware of this,” she tweeted in December 2010.
Hurley and Warne’s relationship went from strength to strength and in October 2011, four months after her divorce from Nayar was finalised, she announced her engagement to the cricket great.
“Shane Warne has confirmed his engagement to actress Elizabeth Hurley after proposing at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship,” her spokesperson confirmed in a press release.
Unfortunately, they never made it down the aisle as the pair split in 2013, but Warne once said the pair were still good friends.
“Look we’re still friends, we had four years of great times together. It wasn’t anything that she did wrong or I did wrong, it was just one of those things which unfortunately got a little bit too hard. But we’re still great friends now.
“We’re still friends. I still love her. But there’s a big difference between loving someone and being in love with them,” Warne said during a 96 FM radio interview in Perth back in 2018.
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“Unfortunately it got a bit too difficult in the end, but she didn’t do the wrong thing. I didn’t do the wrong thing. It was just one of those things that unfortunately didn’t quite happen.”
The cricket legend died in Thailand in March 2022 reportedly from a suspected heart attack.
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