Tish Cyrus On Divorce And Finding Love Again: “I Thought I’d Be Alone Forever”
Tish Cyrus is sharing her heartfelt journey through divorce and the impact it had on her family. Appearing on the Sibling Revelry podcast with Kate and Oliver Hudson, Tish, 57, opened up about the struggles of ending her 28-year marriage to Billy Ray Cyrus, 63, and the ripple effects it caused for their five children.
“I never wanted to be divorced,” Tish admitted. Inspired by her parents’ enduring marriage, she had always envisioned a similar path for herself. However, after years of trying to make things work, she reached a point where staying in the marriage was no longer an option.
“I wanted to make it work, probably for a little too long, like, for my own mental health. There became a point that, like, I didn’t have a choice,” she shared.
The split in April 2022 was especially tough on her children — Miley, 32, Noah, 24, Braison, 30, Brandi, 37, and Trace, 35. Despite being adults, the divorce still hit hard. Tish recalled how her son Trace expressed his sadness: “He was bummed. He was like, ‘I wish my mom and dad would never get… I wish that wouldn’t have happened.”
Tish, who grew up as an only child with what she describes as a stable upbringing, admitted that she couldn’t fully understand how divorce affects children. Yet, she worked hard to handle the situation with care. “And I think that we did it really well. I think I did really well, and I do think that I just wanted it to be the easiest as possible for everyone involved,” she stated.
Brandi, who co-hosts the Sorry We’re Cyrus podcast with her mom, joined the discussion and reflected on the timing of the split. She noted that the previous divorce filings in 2010 and 2013 were harder, particularly for Noah, who was still very young. In her words: “In the prior filings, like, especially Noah, was so young, and that was definitely a big thing. My mom really wanted the family to stay together for Noah. But then once Noah was an adult, I do feel like it was… It was not great, but also, we’re all old enough to understand it. We’re able to zoom out and see it for what it was.”
The end of Tish and Billy Ray’s relationship wasn’t without its challenges. In February, Tish opened up about the overwhelming anxiety she felt after the separation. “I thought I was going to be alone forever,” she told PEOPLE. Her anxiety led to sleepless nights and a terrifying 30-day period where she barely ate or functioned.
“And that was one of the times that I had the crippling breakdown of anxiety. I joke about it and say I had a complete psychological breakdown. There were 30 days where I was not eating, sleeping, just felt like I was just coming out of my skin. And it was really scary,” she added.
Since then, both Tish and Billy Ray have moved on. Tish recently married Prison Break star Dominic Purcell, finding love again after her fears of being alone. Billy Ray, on the other hand, ended his brief marriage to Australian singer Firerose earlier this year.
