Love, scandals and the end of the 30-year marriage of Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus

“Marriage is hard work,” said Tish Cyrus in May 2017 when he spoke for The Daily Dish podcast about how difficult it was to maintain a strong relationship — like the one he had until then with Billy Ray Cyrus — in the middle of the public eye. “Many people, when they go through struggles and difficult times, throw in the towel too easily,” she added, not knowing that five years later she would decide to end her almost three-decade love story with Billy Ray.

“Any relationship, whether it's marriage or family, doesn't matter, you really have to take care of it, nurture it and really work hard. And that's not always easy, especially in the business we're in,” explained Miley Cyrus' mother about how she had been able to cope with their relationship, not without ups and downs.

And it is that before the recent announcement that Tish filed for divorce to Billy Ray, the couple had already hit rock bottom on a couple of occasions. First it was Billy who asked for separation in 2010 because of “irreconcilable differences”, but a year later he gave up. However, three years later, Tish herself took legal action for the same reason.

However, both of them declared some time later that they simply woke up and realized that they still loved each other, so they decided to try hard and go to couples counseling to continue the story that seemed like a fairy tale, one of those that Hollywood loves.

And as a good love story, their romance began not without certain difficulties through which they managed to overcome. They met in the early 90s, the attraction was immediate, but there was one small drawback (actually, two): the musician had an on-and-off relationship with Kristin Luckey, who worked as a waitress in a South Carolina hotel. In addition, he had not yet legally ended his marriage to Cindy Smith, whom he had married in 1986.

Although the relationship between Kristin and Billy, who by then had a certain reputation, was not entirely formal, they conceived a son. When Kristin gave birth to the boy she named Christopher, she and Billy Ray had already separated. Kristin gave birth on April 8, 1992, when the singer was not only already dating Tish, but they were expecting their first daughter, Miley.

At that time, Tish also had his own story. At the age of 19, she married a drummer from Ashland, Kentucky named Baxter Neal Helson. During this marriage, the actress procreated her first two children, Brandi and Trace, which Billy later adopted.

Shortly after the start of the romance between Billy and Tish, the American actress announced her pregnancy with Miley Cyrus (born in November 1992) who he would later become the most popular member of the family. So with all the happiness this new chapter brought them in their lives, they decided to seal their engagement with a wedding on December 28, 1993, in the living room of their home in Franklin, Tennessee.

Much was rumored if Billy walked with both women at the same time since Christopher and Miley were born only eight months apart, however the singer hasn't said anything about it.

Billy Ray confessed years later that his record company did not welcome his affair with Tish. But he ignored and followed the call of his heart, even Tish appeared as an extra in the filming of the video clip Achy Breaky Heart, a single released by the musician in 1992. In that material she highlighted her beauty with her long curly blonde hair, a flirty top of colored rhinestones, while in another change of black clothes she highlighted her big and beautiful gray-blue eyes.

After the big wedding, the couple conceived and welcomed Braison and Noah Cyrus, who would be the brothers of the famous singer Miley, also the youngest in the family. he also followed in the footsteps of his father and sister as he ventured into the music industry.

Christopher is today the same age as Miley, however, he is totally out of show business, although fans of the family point out on a daily basis how good-looking the first son of Billy Ray, who graduated in Law at the University of Texas, is.

After 17 years together, the couple witnessed several ups and downs in their marriage so in 2010 Billy Ray filed for divorce, which surprised all the media. However, none of those involved gave any statement as to the reasons for this separation.

However, five months later the artist withdrew his request, as he stated in an interview for The View his desire to continue with his marriage.

“I ruled out divorce. I want to get my family back together,” the musician said in an interview at the time. “Things are better than ever,” she said as her children were young and were the center of her life.

In turn, the singer made headlines at the time, as he told GQ magazine, prior to their alleged separation, that the Disney broadcast children's show Hannah Montana, which starred Miley Cyrus, had destroyed her family and accused the series of having her daughter out of control.

Three years later, the couple's situation became tense again, as Tish was now the one who asked for separation because of an alleged “personal matter”, as he confirmed in People magazine the reason why the relationship broke down to the point of thinking once again about divorce.

“This is a personal matter and we are working to find a solution that is best for our family. I ask you to respect our privacy at this time,” he said.

In addition, the couple later confirmed that they saved their marriage through a couple therapy treatment.

“We both woke up and realized that we loved each other and decided that we wanted to stay together,” they said in a statement in July 2013. “We both went to couples counseling, something we hadn't done in 22 years of being together, and it brought us closer and really opened up our communication in amazing ways.”

In 2016, Billy Ray Cyrus told the press that although he and Tish experienced various obstacles over the years, since they focused on taking things “step by step”.

“It's like everything in life,” and he added: “You take one step at a time. One day at a time. I think one of the most important things in life and in a relationship is to make adjustments.”

After these statements, the couple were last seen with Miley Cyrus in 2019, on the red carpet of the famous Grammy Awards, because within the event they posed together, holding hands and were even seen affectionate with each other.

On April 6 of this year 2022, Tish Cyrus announced for the third time her divorce with Billy Ray, after 30 years of marriage.

The producer filed for separation legally in Williamson County, Tennessee, where it stipulated in the divorce documents obtained by TMZ that the couple have not lived together for more than 2 years and listed “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the separation. So he asked the court to equitably distribute all marital property.

In addition, the now former couple released a statement in which they added what the decision was like to end their marriage:

“After 30 years, five wonderful children and a lifetime of memories, we have decided to go our separate ways, not with sadness, but with love in our hearts.”

They highlighted the achievements they had as a family throughout their relationship: “We grew up together, we formed a family that we can be very proud of, and now it's time to create our own paths,” they added.

“We will always be a family and look forward to a shared, continuous and loving experience as friends and parents. We haven't made this decision lightly or quickly, but with so much going on in the world, we wanted to provide some clarity and closure so that we can stay focused on what's important,” the celebrities wrote.

“With love and hope... Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus”, closed the message the now former couple.

So far none of the five children have made a statement to this news about the divorce of their parents, however, several netizens compared Tish and Billy's relationship with that of their daughter Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth on social networks, since both couples experienced different separations throughout their relationship and they even got married in the same place.

Tish Cyrus has developed as an American actress and television and video producer, she is currently 54 years old. He has worked producing films such as the film The Last Song, starring his daughter and Liam Hemsworth, in which both protagonists pierced their love of the screen.

Billy Ray Cyrus

The American actor, singer and songwriter of country music is currently 60 years old and his albums accumulated nine multi-platinum ratings. She shared her acting skills together with the Party in the U.S.A. performer on the famous series Hanna Montana from 2006 to 2011.

While love has forced both of them to return, only time will tell if this separation is the final one or both are steadfast in developing their lives alone.

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