Billy Ray Cyrus reveals how relationship with Elizabeth Hurley started as he reads out private messages

Billy Ray Cyrus has revealed all on how his relationship with Elizabeth Hurley started after a recent picture of the pair seemingly confirmed they are an item.

'Happy Easter,' was all the British model wrote in her caption on Instagram to a picture of country singer, Billy Ray, kissing her on the cheek in a sweet picture.

Billy Ray, who only finalized his divorce with Firerose last year, sported green Easter bunny ears and had one arm around Hurley in the cosy snap.

Aside from that, the pair seemingly gave no indication as to how their blossoming romance came about - until now.

In an excerpt of Apple Music Country's The Ty Bentli Show obtained by People, Bill Ray said he first met Hurley while filming Christmas in Paradise in 2022.

The snap confirmed the romance (Instagram/@elizabethhurley1)

"We did very few scenes together but the couple times we were in the same scene there was a chemistry there," he said.

"We just laughed, and it was at a time I wasn’t laughing a lot."

Billy Ray added: "The oddest part was first, how much we laughed. Second, I figured we were so different but in some very strange way we had way more in common than we had different."

The singer went on to state he didn't speak to Hurley for two years after filming Christmas in Paradise as the 63-year-old entered a tricky period in his life with the impending divorce to Firerose.

"I felt like, ‘Wow, can life get any harder? Can it get any tougher?’ For me, at a certain point it was like, you can’t get knocked down any flatter than laying on your back when life is kicking you," Billy Ray added.

It was then that Billy Ray had a message from an unrecognised number that read: "Hey, it looks like life might be a little bit tough and just wanted you to know I’m in your corner; you’ve got a friend in your corner."

Billy Ray admitted to difficulties in recent months (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

It was, of course, Hurley.

"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," Billy Ray added.

"If all we ever were [is] the friends that we are, I would take that. She’s so impressively brilliant. She reminds me a lot of Dolly Parton. She’s a very smart businesswoman."

And the rest, as they say, is history.