Billy Ray Cyrus is an engaged man!
After weeks of speculation, it's finally confirmed that the 61-year-old is engaged to an Australian singer who only goes by the name, Firerose.
The good news comes after a rough year of turmoil for the country star. He got divorced from his wife, Tish, in April and then lost his mother, Ruth Ann Casto, four months later.
At the time, Firerose was 22, while Billy Ray was 49. While making the Disney show with his daughter, Miley Cyrus, the singer/actor took a break to walk his dog.
It was during this walk that he saw Firerose walk out of a building. "There was almost a moment of, I don't know, recognition. I was like, 'This girl's a star,'" Cyrus said in an interview with People magazine.
Firerose walked over to the dog and Billy Ray, whom she recognized. "She told me she'd had an audition and I said, 'Well, I'm sure you got the job,'" he recalled.
"I just thought, well, the casting agents, the producers, the writers, they're all on the floor of where we do Hannah Montana," Cyrus recalled. He even told her that while she shouldn't take a strange man up on his offer, his dog, Rex, would vouch for him.
Billy Ray was hopeful that an introduction would lead to a role or a contract at Disney.
And so, Billy Ray took Firerose to the studio, where she met a lot of cast members, writers, and producers.
Despite being married, Billy Ray kept in touch with the Australian singer over the years. "Our friendship was so solid over the years," Firerose told People. Eventually, they became songwriting partners once the pandemic hit. Firerose plays all of her own instruments and writes her own music.
Their friendship deepened once Cyrus confided in Firerose about his marital issues with Tish. "I was just the best friend I could possibly be, supporting him," Firerose said.
Billy Ray explained that they went from "musical soulmates, to soulmates, happy, pure love that to me, I didn't know could exist." This past August, they became something more when Cyrus proposed with no bended knee and no ring.
"He said, 'I love you. I wanna make this official. I wanna be with you forever.'"
H/T: People
