A Nicholas Sparks love story — without the happy ending. Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth dated on and off for a decade before their relationship came to an end following a whirlwind marriage.
The Hannah Montana star met the Australian actor on the set of The Last Song, which hit theaters in March 2010. After falling in love during production, the twosome made headlines for calling it quits and getting back together several times before Hemsworth proposed to Cyrus in June 2012.
“What happened, happened and we’ve been together two and a half years. She makes me really happy,” the Hunger Games star told Details that same year. “When you start, you want to be professional, but when you’re filming those scenes with someone and pretending to love them, you’re not human if you don’t feel something.”
Instead of walking down the aisle, the singer and the actor sparked split speculation in 2013, with their breakup confirmed by September. As the “Wrecking Ball” songstress wrote songs about the broken engagement, Hemsworth gave a rare comment about their relationship to Men’s Fitness in November 2015.
“You fall in love with who you fall in love with; you can never choose,” he said. “I guess some people just come with a little more baggage. I mean, look — we were together five years, so I don’t think those feelings will ever change. 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.”
The following year, Cyrus was wearing an engagement ring again, confirming the twosome were back on.
“I needed to change so much. And changing with someone else not changing like that is too hard. Suddenly you’re like, ‘I don’t recognize you anymore.’ We had to re-fall for each other,” the “Malibu” singer explained to Billboard in 2017.
The pair grew stronger in 2018 when they lost their home in a California wildfire.
”He thinks it’s not romantic, but I learned that it is,” she said of referring to Hemsworth as her “survival partner” on the Howard Stern Show after the November 2018 fire. “That is why you pair up with someone, for survival, and he was so incredible.”
One month later, the duo exchanged vows at their Tennessee home on December 23, 2018.
“I think it’s very confusing to people that I’m married. But my relationship is unique,” she told Elle in July 2019. “And 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. I mean, do people really think that I’m at home in a f—king apron cooking dinner?”
That August, news broke that the pair had split as photos of Cyrus packing on the PDA with Kaitlynn Carter surfaced.
“Just a quick note to say that Miley and I have recently separated and I wish her nothing but health and happiness going forward,” he said via Instagram at the time.
Cyrus denied cheating at the time.
“Once Liam & I reconciled, I meant it, & I was committed,” she wrote in a lengthy social media thread. “There are NO secrets to uncover here. I’ve learned from every experience in my life. I’m not perfect, I don’t want to be, it’s boring. I’ve grown up in front of you, but the bottom line is, I HAVE GROWN UP. I can admit to a lot of things but I refuse to admit that my marriage ended because of cheating. Liam and I have been together for a decade. I’ve said it before & it remains true, I love Liam and always will.”
They finalized their divorce in January 2020. While Hemsworth has been dating Gabriella Brooks since late 2019, Cyrus has been seeing Maxx Morando since late 2021.
