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Elizabeth Hurley reveals her bizarre nickname for boyfriend Billy Ray Cyrus in birthday post

Hurley and Cyrus went public with their relationship in April

Brittany Miller
Tuesday 26 August 2025 18:00 BST
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Related: Billy Ray Cyrus shows off new romance with Austin Powers actress Elizabeth Hurley

Elizabeth Hurley marked Billy Ray Cyrus’ birthday with a sweet tribute — and revealed the unusual pet name she has for him.

On Monday, the Austin Powers actor posted a series of photos on Instagram of her and the “Achy Breaky Heart” singer in honor of his 64th birthday.

“Happy Birthday Squirrel Man,” Hurley captioned the post alongside a string of heart emojis.

Cyrus had shared his own tribute on Hurley’s 60th birthday earlier this summer. “Happy birthday to the love of my life,” he captioned a June Instagram post of her sitting on his lap.

The two went public with their relationship in April when Hurley shared an Easter-themed post on social media that showed her smiling while Cyrus, wearing a pair of green bunny ears, kissed her on the neck.

‘Happy Birthday Squirrel Man,’ Hurley captioned her birthday tribute to Cyrus
‘Happy Birthday Squirrel Man,’ Hurley captioned her birthday tribute to Cyrus (Getty Images)

Days after the relationship hard launch, Cyrus opened up about meeting Hurley during an episode of The Ty Bentli Show on Apple Music.

The country singer said he had instant chemistry with Hurley on the set of their 2022 movie, Christmas in Paradise, which was filmed in Nevis, an island in the Caribbean.

“We did very few scenes together but the couple times we were in the same scene there was a chemistry,” Cyrus said. “We just laughed and it was at a time I wasn't laughing a lot, and I found it the oddest thing.”

He said he “knew all about” Hurley’s life and career before they met, and that he felt intimidated that “me, a kid from Flatwoods, Kentucky, going to sit and pretend I’m an actor with Elizabeth Hurley.”

Cyrus added that the “oddest part” of their on-set chemistry was how much they laughed together.

“Second, I figured we were so different, but in some very strange way, we had way more in common than we had different.”

However, the pair lost touch after filming wrapped, with Cyrus navigating the divorce from his wife of 30 years, Tish Cyrus, with whom he shares children Miley, 32, Braison, 31, and Noah, 25. Billy also adopted Tish’s two children, Brandi and Trace, when they got married.

Cyrus then married the Australian singer Firerose in October 2023, and they divorced eight months later, citing “irreconcilable differences” and “inappropriate marital conduct” as the reasons for their split.

In the interview with Bentli, Cyrus spoke about the “difficult” period in his life, adding: “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 in the gut.”

Cyrus said that Hurley reached out to him on an unknown number to offer support, which is when they reconnected.

Hurley was previously married to businessman Arun Nyar from 2007 to 2011, and she shares her 23-year-old son, Damian, with the late movie producer Steve Bing.

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