Billy Ray Cyrus has confirmed he and Firerose are engaged.
The “Achy Breaky Heart” hitmaker – who split from his wife Tish Cyrus in April, after 30 years – was rumoured in September, to be preparing to marry the 34-year-old singer. His partner confirmed the 61-year-old star popped the question this summer, in low-key fashion without a ring.
Firerose, who later designed her own ring with a diamond she chose, said: “Billy looked at me and said, ‘Do you, do you wanna marry me?’ And I was just like, ‘Of course I do. I love you.’
“He said, ‘I love you. I wanna make this official. I wanna be with you forever.’”
Cyrus, who has 30-year-old Christopher with ex-girlfriend Kristin Luckey, and Brandi, 35, Trace, 33, Miley, 29, Braison, 28, and Noah, 22, with Tish; dismissed reports of a rift with his kids following his divorce.
He said: “Everyone knew that that relationship was over a long time ago. Everybody’s turning the page. It’s been a lot, but everyone knew that it was time for a change.”
The “Christmas In Paradise” actor credits his latte German Shepherd, Tex, for helping him to meet Firerose 12 years ago when he was working on “Hannah Montana” with his daughter Miley.
He said: “I loved doing that show. There's a couple old pine trees on the lot that look like Tennessee. Tex and I would go out there in the middle of the day and he’d take care of his business and we’d stretch and I’d think how much I missed Tennessee. On that given day, Firerose came out of the front door. There was almost a moment of, I don’t know, recognition. I was like, ‘This girl’s a star.’”
Firerose then came over to speak to Tex and told Billy she’d been for an audition.
Cyrus said: “I just thought, well, the casting agents, the producers, the writers, they’re all on the floor of where we do “Hannah Montana”.
“And I actually said to her, ‘Don’t ever take a strange man up on this offer, but, in this case, Tex will testify that you will be totally safe. I’m going to introduce you to a producer and you can kind of make yourself at home and watch us rehearse and you know, maybe it might lead to a role or just another contact at Disney.’
“And so, off me and her and Tex went back to the studio and I think she met a lot of the cast and met the producers, writers. And, in some ways, well, in a lot of ways, we became friends.”
They stayed in touch over the years, with the Australian singer asking Billy to listen to her music, and during the Covid-19 pandemic, they began writing together, ultimately releasing their duet “New Day” in July last year.
Firerose said: “We began sharing music, and it just evolved.
“Billy confided in me a lot of what was going on in his life. I was just the best friend I could possibly be, supporting him.”
Her fiancé admitted it “took a lot of prayer” to move on after his divorce.
He said: “There was sickness and death, and hard times. All of a sudden, the life that I’ve always known as a touring artist didn’t exist anymore. A moment of so much change.
“And at the same time, Firerose, who had been such a light of positivity, such a best friend. And then when we began sharing the music, it just evolved more into, as musical soulmates, to soulmates, happy, pure love that to me, I didn’t know could exist.
“Again, we’re musicians, first and foremost, both of us. And we found this harmony, and this rhythm, this melody to life.”