Billy Ray Cyrus and Firerose Settle Divorce — 3 Months After Filing to Dissolve Tumultuous Marriage
Billy Ray Cyrus and Firerose finalized their divorce August 5.
Aug. 5 2024, Published 7:11 p.m. ET
Billy Ray Cyrus and estranged wife Firerose have finalized their divorce, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Achy Breaky Heart hitmaker, 62, and the Australian country singer, 36, filed to legally split in May after just seven months of marriage.
Billy Ray accused his ex of isolating him from family members.
Cyrus' attorney confirmed that the former couple reached a settlement agreement on August 2.
Lawyers Rose Palermo and Jason Talley said in a statement: "This past Friday the parties reached a settlement agreement at mediation to dissolve their 7-month marriage, and the Court declared the parties divorced this morning. Mr. Cyrus is relieved to put this nightmare behind him."
Firerose legally changed her last name to Cyrus weeks prior to mediation.
The attorneys made a point to note that "a couple of weeks ago, prior to mediation, Ms. Hodges legally changed her last name from ‘Hodges’ to ‘Cyrus’", which the She's Not Cryin' Anymore singer reportedly believed "validates his assertion that his ex-wife's sole impetus for marrying him was to obtain his last name".
According to his divorce filing, Cyrus cited irreconcilable differences and inappropriate marital conduct. The 62-year-old additionally requested the marriage be annulled on the grounds of alleged fraud.
Cyrus and Firerose were married for seven month before the country start filed for divorce.
Cyrus also sought a temporary restraining order against Firerose – previously known as Johanna Hodges – for making unauthorized charges to his business and personal accounts. The singer claimed his estranged wife allegedly charged $96,000 to his credit card at the time of his filing.
In a statement to People, Cyrus said: "Giving thanks today to breathe a sigh of relief."
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62-Year-old Cyrus added that "it’s unfortunate" the marriage "played out this way".
The former Hannah Montana star concluded his message to outlet by making a point to note "it was a matter of the heart" and "love is blind ... that’s for sure."
Firerose shared a cryptic message to her Instagram stories after news of her divorce finalization broke.
While Cyrus' team alleged Firerose married the country star to benefit her music career – and pointed to her timely name change to support their claims – a source close to Firerose insisted the 36-year-old changed her name after the former couple were married.
The insider said: "This was not something she just did last week, especially following the ongoing smear campaign by his team."
The source added Firerose chose to "walk away without fighting for money in order to be done with the volatile relationship and anything having to do with Billy".
The source also alleged Cyrus and his legal team "had included a clause asking Firerose to admit she was lying about BRCA" in the settlement that was "easily thrown out" when Firerose presented test results and medical records "to prove otherwise".
The insider said: "If this went to trial, Firerose and her team would have provided a significant amount of evidence to prove he fabricated a narrative that would benefit his public image. There is no doubt she would have been awarded the divorce, but it was much more important to her that this continuous smear campaign end."
Meanwhile, Firerose seemingly shared her thoughts on the matter after news of her divorce settlement made headlines.
The Australian singer took to her Instagram stories and shared post that read: "The best is yet to come."
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