She’s the former child actress turned pop singer with a string of best selling albums to her name. He’s one of the stars of one of the most successful movie franchises in recent years. They’re young, beautiful and successful, so it came as little surprise to everyone when Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus eventually admitted to their fans that they were romantically involved, nearly ten years ago.
Despite an on-again, off-again relationship spanning almost a decade, it looked like everything was finally going smoothly for the loved up pair until recently when it all came to a crashing end once again.
With everything from rumours of cheating, drug use and hard partying shadowing their every move, their relationship has been under a microscope since day one. They’ve broken up and reunited in the past, but can they fix their problems this time? Or is this really it for the couple? Let’s take a look back over their roller coaster relationship and its defining moments.
The Hannah Montana Years
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Long before she met Liam, Miley Cyrus was already making a name for herself from a young age. She rose to fame as the star of the “Hannah Montana” kids TV show, playing the title character – an international pop star that lives a double life as a normal, small town school girl.
As a role model to millions of young girls around the world, Cyrus managed to keep a squeaky clean image for the first years of her career much like other young stars in similar roles. She had a foray into movies, starring in “Hannah Montana; The Movie” in 2009 and lending her voice to Disney’s animated film “Bolt”. Cyrus was already involved in music and many of her acting parts involved utilising her vocal talents.
It wasn’t until her 2008 album “Breakout” that Miley released anything outside of her Hannah Montana image, however instant hits like “Fly On The Wall” seemed to confirm her evolution from actress to fully fledged pop star and singer.
Neighbours & Fame In The Family
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While Miley was building her career in the USA, future love interest and eventual husband Liam was making his own way into the celebrity world by landing the part of Josh Taylor in “Neighbours” – a part which he played from 2007 to 2008. As a native Australian, Hemsworth spent much of his free time surfing when he wasn’t auditioning for roles.
With two older brothers also in the acting business – his older brother Chris famously portrays Thor in the Marvel movie universe, a part which Liam also originally auditioned for – it didn’t take long for Liam to make the transition from TV to movies. In 2009 he was cast in the action film “The Expendables” although his character was later written out and Hemsworth was offered a different role in the sequel.
Hemsworth has spoken out before about the difficulties he faced breaking into the movie business, especially with constant comparisons being made between him and his older siblings. Fortunately they have always been a close family and see competition between them as a good thing.
The Last Song
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When Liam was cast as the romantic lead in 2010’s “The Last Song” he had no idea that the role would lead him to meet one of the most important people in his life. Miley had been cast as the movie’s lead and they had to film together in 2009 in Georgia, USA.
It was almost a case of missed opportunity when Liam’s role was originally given to “A Star Is Born” actor Rafi Gavron, however a last minute decision led to Liam taking his place. The young couple met on set and their relationship developed as they worked together.
For the next few months they were seen numerous times together, accompanying each other to showbiz events and the premier of Liam’s film “The Hunger Games”. In 2012 the couple finally announced their engagement to fans and the press.
The Engagement
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Despite the couple seeming blissfully happy with their relationship, their 2012 engagement was not without its critics – many of whom thought that at just 19 years old, Cyrus was too young to be making such a big commitment.
Talking on the Ellen DeGeneres show, Miley admitted that she was looking forward to her wedding and that she wanted everything to be ‘perfect’.
Miley’s famous father, country singing legend Billy Ray Cyrus, tweeted his congratulations to the pair, adding that all he wanted was to see his daughter happy and in love. It seemed at the time that despite the odd break in their three year relationship, Liam and Miley looked set to tie the knot and take their relationship to the next level.
Trouble Ahead
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The engagement didn’t last long unfortunately – and by 2013 the couple had called it quits once again. Miley was seen without her engagement ring which she had previously made disparaging comments about, complaining that it “wasn’t her style”. The couple confirmed their split via social media. The news elicited a wave of support for Cyrus with even now-USA president Donald Trump tweeting the singer with a reminder to ‘stay strong.’
The breakup also seemed to signal the start of Miley’s transition from good girl role model to edgy rebel, something that could have been attributed to her desire to distance herself both from her ex-fiancé and her Hannah Montana past.
Accusations of racism, drug abuse and drinking followed, with Miley seemingly falling off the rails more than once. People accused Cyrus of trying to appropriate African American culture in her performances and using words like ‘Hood’ and ‘Ghetto’ to describe music.
2013 VMA Awards
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Her controversial performance at the 2013 VMA awards show seemingly cemented Miley’s new reputation as a good-girl turned bad when she performed a duet with ‘Blurred Lines’ singer Robin Thicke. Cyrus, who strut across the stage in a latex bra top and began twerking up against Thicke as he performed, was heavily criticized by former fans who thought that her new image was a step too far.
In later years the singer did express some regret for her part in the show, stating that whilst initially it was supposed to represent her new found freedom and individuality, it did later left her feeling “sexualised”. While it isn’t certain whether or not Liam and Miley’s relationship was on or off at the time, Liam’s team reputedly told the actor to distance himself from the singer following the VMAs for fear that her reputation could damage his career.
Wrecking Ball
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Despite warnings from his team and the people around him, Liam just couldn’t seem to let Miley go and there was always speculation about their relationship. Between late 2013 and 2015 there were plenty of rumours circulating that the pair was back together.
It was thought that Miley’s 2013 single ‘Wrecking Ball’ was written about her relationship with Hemsworth and she was seen breaking down in tears on stage during a performance at a music festival. Hemsworth claimed the pair would always be friends and in early 2014 Miley had moved on to begin a new relationship with Patrick Schwarzenegger, the son of actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In 2015 they too broke up, leading to Miley coming out to the world as Pansexual, something which she later admitted had not realised she was until later in life.
Liam Finds Another Love
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In November of 2015, Hemsworth introduced the world to a new love in his life, although not the sort that people expected. The actor hadn’t found a new girlfriend, but had instead, adopted rescue dog Dora – a six month old puppy that had been resident in a California pet rescue centre.
The actor posted adorable snaps of the pair on social media and shared his happiness at finding a new friend to share his home with. It was later rumoured that it was Miley who introduced Liam to the pet shelter and encouraged him to adopt a dog. Miley is well known for being an animal lover and owns more than half a dozen pets, often posting about them on her Twitter.
It is thought that Dora was a key element in Miley and Liam rekindling their romance, and Miley was often seen visiting the pair. In 2016 the couple confirmed that they were indeed, back on.
Burning Love
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Tragedy struck Malibu in November 2018 when the Woolsey fires ripped through areas of California, forcing nearly 300,000 people to flee their homes. The fires which raged for several days destroyed many houses including the one that Cyrus and Hemsworth shared.
The house was devastated and both stars posted photos of the wreckage on their social media accounts urging followers to help with fundraising for those affected. They also made a substantial donation of $500,000 dollars to help with rebuilding the area. Both were able to safely make it away from the danger along with all of their animals. Liam described the incident as being ‘a heartbreaking few days’ but told reporters that Malibu was ‘a strong community’.
It seemed that the event prompted the pair to once again move their relationship to the next level with new rumours surfacing that a wedding was on the cards.
The Wedding
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In December 2018 fans of the pair were pleased to hear that despite all of their ups and downs, the tumultuous pair had finally decided that they belonged together and tied the knot in a sweet private ceremony. The wedding, which took place in Tennessee, was a small affair and it was rumoured that many members of Hemsworth’s family did not attend.
Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus, parents to Miley, were however thrilled with the union and posted pictures from the celebration on their Instagram accounts congratulating the pair. The wedding was attended by a carefully selected circle of close friends and family, with fans only finding out after pictures were posted online.
Not Your Average Wife
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Despite seeming happy and having a new chapter in her life to look forward to, Miley was quick to speak to fans about her recent marriage. She stated that she did not want to be ‘an average wife’ and that she was unable to promise that she would remain faithful to Hemsworth. Many began to speculate that their wedding was in fact not the happy affair it had seemed, but was instead a final effort to save their relationship.
It was rumoured that Miley called the shots over how the wedding should be organised, with Liam and his family left to take a back seat. Many felt that the pair were just too different and that whilst Liam looked ready to settle down and start a more traditional married life, Miley was still keen to have her freedom and independence. The couple came under even more scrutiny after Miley admitted that despite being married to Liam now, she still felt attracted to other people – both men and women.
He Said, She Said
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Just as with any relationship, where there is trouble there is sure to be blame. At first, it seemed as though most people were willing to point the finger at Miley – after all, her wild side had caused rifts between the couple in the past.
Rumours of infidelity began to circle, with people speculating that the couple had split once again due to Miley having an affair with another woman. Miley had been seen kissing other women throughout their dating timeline, including model Frankie Rayder in 2015.
But it seems like not everything was as clear cut as it might have looked to their fans, with Liam’s usually squeaky clean image being tarnished by rumours of heavy partying, excessive drinking and drug addiction. Sources claiming to be close to the pair suggested that Miley had finally had enough of Liam’s addictions.
There have been very few details given about Liam’s supposed drug use, with both the actor himself and his team remaining closed lipped about the subject, releasing a statement denying the claims but little more.
Is This The End?
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Fast forward to August 2019 and finally the announcement came that everyone had been expecting – Cyrus and Hemsworth had official separated, with both confirming the news via social media. Hemsworth was quick to point out that he would not be speaking to the press and asked for privacy during what was clearly going to be a very difficult time.
Miley meanwhile was seen without her wedding ring and was later photographed enjoying holiday time in the sun with Kaitlynn Carter, whom it is rumoured she may be involved with. Hemsworth has remained quiet about the photos surfacing, stating that he wishes Miley nothing but happiness.
Fans and friends meanwhile remain sceptical about this being in fact the end for the pair. People close to them have reportedly said that the pair often separate but always manage to find their way back to each other. Whatever happens, we hope that they both find the happiness and love that they deserve.