She’s known for laying her life out on social media, but Elizabeth Hurley appeared unusually coy last week, hinting to fans that she is ‘engaged’ to country singer Billy Ray Cyrus.
The actress sent the rumour mill into overdrive when she posted a photo on her social media of herself dressed in a dressing gown – and sporting a large diamond on her engagement ring finger.
She did not explain the dazzling jewellery, but it was enough to set tongues wagging.
Meanwhile, Billy, the father of pop superstar Miley, posted a cryptic ring emoji which was ‘liked’ with a celebratory emoji by Hurley’s son Damian, 24.
The New York Post claimed that sources had confirmed the engagement, although representatives for the couple have yet to comment.
But a source told the MoS: ‘It’s unlikely Damian would react like that if it wasn’t true. He adores Billy and is very happy his mother is so happy.’
This will be a fourth marriage for Cyrus – famous for his song Achy Breaky Heart – and the second for Hurley, who was married to Indian businessman Arun Nayar from 2007 to 2011.
She was in a relationship with Hugh Grant from 1987 to 2000, before having son Damian with the late movie producer Steve Bing. She was engaged to the late Australian cricketer Shane Warne from 2011 to 2013.
Liz and Billy met on the set of the 2022 film Christmas In Paradise. They began dating at the start of last year, with Hurley telling the SheerLuxe podcast: ‘There are a lot more similarities than you’d think. We’ve both lived out of suitcases our entire life. And we both also a long time ago moved out of the cities.’
A source said of the ‘engagement ring’ photo: ‘She’s filming The Burbs [the US comedy-mystery drama series], I hardly think this ring is a prop.’
The reported engagement comes against the backdrop of controversy surrounding Billy’s previous seven-month marriage to singer Firerose, whose real name is Johanna Hodges.
Earlier this year, she accused Billy of being ’emotionally abusive’ and issued a warning to Hurley to ‘be careful’. He vehemently denied the allegations, while reports suggested Hurley was ‘unbothered’ by the claims.
