Celebrate the Heart of Country, Americana, and Roots Music!

Drop Us A Line, Y'all

Y'all interested in advertising, partnering up, contributing stories, joining our team, or just got a question? Well, don't be shy, drop us a line!

Follow Us

Billy Ray Cyrus and Elizabeth Hurley Take the Next Step With Guitar Lessons and New Pets Together

Elizabeth Hurley smiles beside Billy Ray Cyrus holding a guitar, marking their playful summer of music and fresh beginnings.
by
  • Arden is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, specializing in classic hits and contemporary chart-toppers.
  • Prior to joining Country Thang Daily, Arden wrote for Billboard and People magazine, covering country music legends and emerging artists.
  • Arden holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Tennessee, with a minor in Music Studies.

Billy Ray Cyrus has written plenty of love songs in his life, but now he’s teaching one.

The “Achy Breaky Heart” singer has gone public with his romance with actress and model Elizabeth Hurley, and the pair have been spending the summer writing a new kind of duet together. Instead of Nashville studios or red-carpet premieres, it’s guitar lessons on quiet English afternoons, new pets in the garden, and the kind of laughter that feels like medicine. Hurley admitted in an interview that Cyrus is teaching her to play guitar, though she says she’s “appalling” so far. Still, she’s giving it a go, and under the guidance of a man with Grammys and CMA trophies to his name, she’s bound to strike the right chords eventually.

RELATED: Billy Ray Cyrus and Elizabeth Hurley Just Made the Red Carpet Wild With a Full-On Kiss

Their story already sounds like a country song. They met in 2022 while filming Christmas in Paradise. At the time, Cyrus was weathering the storm of his divorce after nearly three decades of marriage, and he later admitted that Hurley’s friendship during those dark days felt like a lifeline. “We just laughed, and it was at a time I wasn’t laughing a lot,” he said. That laughter turned into late-night texts, and those texts turned into something real. By Easter of this year, the couple went public with a kiss on Instagram, writing simply, “Happy Easter ♥️.”

Now, they’ve taken things a step further, adding a couple of new tortoises to the family. Hurley even joked that she’s become a bird watcher, recently spotting rare goshawks in the UK. “I have a really interesting life. Wild. Parties every night,” she laughed, proving that the glamor queen is just as happy watching the sky with Billy Ray as she is on a movie set.

This summer marked a milestone for Hurley, who turned 60 in June. She spent the day surrounded by family and friends, with her son Damian baking her a cake and the group spending the night laughing and being silly. She described it as the perfect kind of celebration, stripped of Hollywood glitz but rich in love. And now with Cyrus by her side, she admits she’s making more of an effort to balance work with time at home, something she has struggled with throughout her career.

Cyrus has seen his share of highs and lows, but this chapter feels different. He’s introduced Hurley to his daughters, Miley and Noah, in London, and by all accounts, the family has embraced the new romance. For a man who once said he felt like life had knocked him flat on his back, this new love feels like a second wind. Hurley says what she loves most is how supportive he is, and in her words, “That feels nice.”

It’s the kind of unexpected love story that makes sense only when you hear it told. A Kentucky country boy and a British actress might sound worlds apart, but they’ve found common ground in guitars, animals, family, and laughter. Sometimes the best love stories aren’t the flashy ones. They’re the quiet kind, with slow strums on a six-string, a couple of tortoises wandering around the yard, and two people finally catching their breath together.

Billy Ray Cyrus and Elizabeth Hurley are not just dating. They’re building a life that feels like a song still being written, and so far, the melody is sounding pretty damn sweet.

Latest Stories

Dolly Parton’s nephew Bryan Seaver, who announced her passing, is shown after being dismissed from guarding her properties.

Dolly Parton’s Nephew Who Announced Her Death Was Reportedly Fired From Guarding Her Properties

Three weeks after Bryan Seaver stood in front of a camera to tell the world his aunt had died, he was reportedly told to hand over the keys. Seaver, the ...

The late Dolly Parton on stage in sequins and blonde hair, singing into a microphone. CMA will honor her with a live special on October 21.

The CMA Will Honor Dolly Parton With a Two-Hour Live Special on October 21

Dolly Parton wrote the most famous goodbye song in American music. Now, country music is using it to say goodbye to her. The Country Music Association announced it will honor ...

Reba McEntire appears at the Emmys in Dolly Parton’s butterfly ring and rhinestone earrings as her gown matches Dolly’s first look.

Reba Wore Dolly Parton’s Rhinestone Earrings and Butterfly Ring During Her Emmys Tribute

The first time Reba McEntire ever saw Dolly Parton in person, Dolly was covered in rhinestone butterflies. McEntire has told the story more than once. She was backing up against ...

Sally Field appears emotional during her Emmys tribute speech calling Dolly Parton an angel on earth.

Sally Field Called Dolly Parton an Angel on Earth in Her Emmys Tribute Speech

Sally Field worked with Dolly Parton on one movie in 1989. She spent the next thirty-seven years loving her anyway. Field introduced the Dolly Parton tribute at the 78th Primetime ...

Reba McEntire looks emotional as she sings Appalachian Memories for Dolly Parton at the Emmys.

Reba McEntire Sang “Appalachian Memories” for Dolly at the Emmys and Got Emotional at the End

Forty-three years ago, Dolly Parton stood on the Emmy stage and sang a song she wrote about her daddy and the mountains that raised her. On Monday night, her friend ...

A massive Dolly Parton mural covers a honky-tonk wall in Fort Worth after an artist painted her because his daughter was hurting.

A Massive Dolly Parton Mural Went Up on a Fort Worth Honky-Tonk and People Keep Pulling Over

His daughter took the news hard, so he went and found a wall. Juan Velazquez saw how Dolly Parton’s death hit his daughter and decided he wanted to honor her. ...

Jennifer Nettles sings emotionally as she honors the 9/11 victims with Vince Gill’s Go Rest High on That Mountain.

Jennifer Nettles Honored the 9/11 Victims With Vince Gill’s Go Rest High on That Mountain

Vince Gill wrote that song for his own dead. On Friday, Jennifer Nettles sang it for nearly three thousand of them. Nettles performed “Go Rest High on That Mountain” at ...

Garth Brooks is shown with a circular photo of Dolly Parton after declaring September 25 Dolly Day and giving bar sales to the Imagination Library.

Garth Brooks Declared September 25 ‘Dolly Day’ and Is Giving the Full Day’s Bar Sales to the Imagination Library

Two days after Dolly Parton died, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood picked a date and made a promise. On Thursday, August 27, the couple announced that their Nashville bar, Friends ...

Lainey Wilson stands in a black suit with a choir behind her as she honors the 9/11 victims with Amazing Grace at the 25th anniversary.

Lainey Wilson Honored the 9/11 Victims With “Amazing Grace” in a Black Suit and a Choir Behind Her

She left the bell-bottoms and the cowboy hat at home and walked out in a black suit with a choir behind her, singing a hymn that has carried this country ...

Budweiser Clydesdales bow toward the New York skyline in the 9/11 tribute ad that aired once during the 2002 Super Bowl.

Budweiser’s 9/11 Tribute Aired Once During the 2002 Super Bowl and People Still Remember It

Sixty seconds, no words, and a horse named Ringo doing the only thing the country needed to see. On Sunday, February 3, 2002, during Super Bowl XXXVI, Anheuser-Busch ran a ...