In a pretty strange turn of events, Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth have separated after less than a year of marriage. The pop singer and her movie-star husband have been dating on and off for about a decade, and got engaged for the first time in 2012. They ended up calling it off, but found their way back to each other in 2015. The engagement was back on, and in December of 2018 the couple got married in a private (and surprise) ceremony.
Cyrus opened up about the breakup before the couple got married.
"(I) needed to change so much. And changing with someone else not changing like that is too hard," she told Billboard. "Suddenly you're like, 'I don't recognize you anymore.' We had to refall for each other."
The couple lost their home in the California wildfire, and it wasn't long after that they tied the knot. It was the loss that brought them closer together and apparently realized they wanted to be together forever (or so they thought).
“They don’t have doubts about their relationship,” a Cyrus source said at the time. “They both wanted to get married. They have both matured a lot, and it seemed like the perfect time for them to get married.”
However, now less than a year after their marriage started, it's officially over.
“Liam and Miley have agreed to separate at this time,” a rep for Cyrus told PEOPLE in a statement. “Ever-evolving, changing as partners and individuals, they have decided this is what’s best while they both focus on themselves and careers. They still remain dedicated parents to all of their animals they share while lovingly taking this time apart. Please respect their process and privacy.”
A lot of people questioned the marriage to begin with, especially since Cyrus has been open about her attraction to both men and women. She's also considered more "wild" than Hemsworth, who seems very down to Earth.
“I think it’s very confusing to people that I’m married. But my relationship is unique,” Cyrus told Elle. “I don’t know that I would ever publicly allow people in there because it’s so complex, and modern, and new that I don’t think we’re in a place where people would get it,” she said. “I mean, do people really think that I’m at home in a f—ing apron cooking dinner? I’m in a hetero relationship, but I still am very sexually attracted to women.”
Despite everyone's criticisms, Cyrus said that Hemsworth is the person she wanted to be with.
"This is the person I feel has my back the most," Cyrus said. "I definitely don’t fit into a stereotypical wife role. I don’t even like that word.”
As for Hemsworth, he spoke about his feelings for Cyrus during their first breakup, and admitted that she's a "free spirit."
"I mean, look — we were together five years, so I don't think those feelings will ever change," he told Men's Health at the time. "And that's good because that proves to me that it was real. It wasn't just a fling. It really was an important part of my life and always will be. She's a free spirit. I think she'll always surprise people with what she does, but she's not a malicious person in any way. She's a young girl who wants to do what she wants to do."
I think these two definitely have a close connection, but sometimes that's not all it takes for a successful marriage.