Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth split: Everything you need to know

By Rory O'Sullivan

Looking the other way: Miley and Liam's history hasn't exactly been a smooth ride. REUTERS
Looking the other way: Miley and Liam's history hasn't exactly been a smooth ride. REUTERS
A girl-on-girl kiss, a surprise cryptic single, accusations of boozing and domestic abuse, two lovers lost, and a rumour mill in full overdrive. Here's everything you need to know about Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth's split - and why you should care.

Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth split: What we know so far

ICYMI, last week, Hollywood celebrity couple Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth called it quits.

Now, Hemsworth has officially filed for divorce from the singer, citing “irreconcilable differences”.

A little over a week ago, a standard-issue statement said they were going their separate ways after barely eight months of marriage.

Around this time, Cyrus had been taking a scantily-clothed and intimate time-out with Kaitlynn Carter in Italy (more on that later), while Australian heart-throb Hemsworth was spending some time with brother and fellow actor (and fellow heart-throb) Chris in Byron Bay.

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Life’s a climb… but the view is great.

A post shared by Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus) on Aug 11, 2019 at 12:23pm PDT

So they weren’t even physically together when their separation was made public, fuelling speculation this had been coming for some time.

Miley and Liam call it off: Why do we care?

We care because they’re a bona fide power couple.

People like them, look up to them and aspire to them. Or at least double-tap their Instagram posts and buy their stuff.

Their combined presence has been a fixture of A-list red carpets and a flame for paparazzi moths in the global movie and music scene for almost 10 years.

Miley and Liam's near 10-year romance is finally over. REUTERS
Miley and Liam’s near 10-year romance is finally over. REUTERS

Plus, their romance has been entertaining us ever since they got together in 2009, when they met on the set of The Last Song.

Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth have been on again and off again for almost 10 years, but now it's over for good.
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth have been on again and off again for almost 10 years, but now it’s over for good.

They first got engaged when Cyrus was just 19, which she called off a year later, and they’ve been on-again and off-again the whole time until their surprise wedding at home last December.

So this is the biggest thing to happen in the tumultuous history of their, now doomed, relationship.

Looking the other way: Miley and Liam's history hasn't exactly been a smooth ride. REUTERS
Looking the other way: Miley and Liam’s journey hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride. REUTERS

Now, the knives are out and the rumour mill is in overdrive (again, more on that later), so let’s take a closer look at what’s made this story such a huge deal.

Kaitlynn Carter: Who’s the new girl?

As if this story wasn’t juicy enough, just hours after the world was told Cryus and Hemsworth were finished, Cyrus was snapped kissing holiday pal and TV star Carter by a poolside in the luxury resort of Lake Como in Italy.

In the days leading up to that jaw-dropping smooch, the pair had been sharing dozens of pictures of their extravagant getaway.

Let’s just say those posts were low on clothing. and high on engagement.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus) on Aug 9, 2019 at 12:24pm PDT

Cyrus has been open before about her bisexuality and attraction to other women.

In 2015, while on a break from Hemsworth, Cyrus hooked up with Victoria’s Secret model Stella Maxwell.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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rock the boat, don’t rock the boat baby ⚓️

A post shared by Kaitlynn Carter (@kaitlynn) on Aug 9, 2019 at 3:08pm PDT

Even their “official statement” alluded to the fact that Cyrus and Hemsworth were moving on “as partners”.

But it’s unclear whether this holiday fling with Carter is just that, or perhaps something more serious.

Either way, everyone wants to know more about the new girl on the scene – and how she’s ended up locking lips with one of the world’s biggest pop stars.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹

A post shared by Kaitlynn Carter (@kaitlynn) on Aug 10, 2019 at 9:22am PDT

Just days earlier, Carter herself had divorced from husband Brody Jenner, son of Olympian Caitlin and half-brother of Kylie.

Carter is a social media influencer and stars in The Hills: New Beginnings.

But the 30-year-old is certainly more “B-List” compared to the company she’s been keeping. Company she’s been keeping somewhat intimately, let’s not forget.

Liam hits back

Actually, “hits back” might be overkill.

On Monday the 29-year-old shared an Instagram post that included a personal message for Cyrus, wishing her “health and happiness”.

However, he will have known full well about his ex-wife’s very public rebound with another woman so soon after their break-up, and the shockwaves it sent through the celebrity gossip world.

Aaaaand Miley hits back

Well, Cyrus DEFINITELY hit back:

Today, out of nowhere, Cyrus dropped a single called Slide Away.

And you don’t need a degree in linguistics to analyse the subject of the song’s lyrics – and the emotional force behind them. Over to you, dear reader.

Once upon a time it was paradise, once upon a time I was paralysed

Think I’m gonna miss these harbour lights but it’s time to let it go

Once upon a time it was made for us, woke up one day and it turned to dust

Baby we were found but now we’re lost, so it’s time to let it go

I want my house in the hills, don’t want the whisky and pills

I don’t give up easily, but I don’t think I’m down

So won’t you slide away, back to the ocean, I’ll go back to the city life

So won’t you slide away, back to the ocean, la la la, you slide away

So won’t you slide away, back to the ocean, I’ll go back to the city life

So won’t you slide away, back to the ocean, la la la, you slide away

Move on we’re not 17, I’m not who I used to be

You say that everything changed? You’re right, we’re grown now

The Miley-Liam rumour mill

The release of that single appears to have divided Camp Hemsworth and Camp Cryus even further.

It’s sparked a war of words, with sources close to each family now chiming in on a possibly fraught domestic relationship – with most of the finger-pointing aimed at Hemsworth.

The mention of “whisky and pills” may allude to rumours around Hemsworth’s partying and drinking, something which People magazine claims Cyrus was fed up with.

A source close to the pop star told People that Hemsworth would “lash out” at Cyrus, and that his lifestyle was weighing down on both her and their relationship.

“Liam parties with his friends, and Miley thinks he should’ve grown out of that by now,” the source told People.

Meanwhile, over at Team Hemsworth, the smokescreen is already under construction.

A family source told The Sun that the booze claims were designed to paint Hemsworth “100% as the bad guy” and divert attention away from Cryus’s own actions.

You’d think, then, that there’d be zero chance of them getting back together.

You guessed it, even that’s not out of the question.

Another source told The Sun:

“Miley and Liam both keep saying the word ‘separated’ not ‘divorcing’ which has his family really worried they’re leaving the door open to get back together in the future.

“They think Liam should cut Miley off and can’t stand the idea of them getting back together. Nobody wants that.

“They think it’s been on and off so many times that everyone worries about him getting sucked back into the relationship and getting his heart broken again.

“It’s been toxic for way too long. They’re not meant to be together.”

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