If you were one of the people who were crushed by the news about Miley and Liam’s separation, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
There’s a whole lot of cynicism out there when it comes to celebrity relationships, and admittedly it’s not without reason.
It feels like every other day there’s another flash-in-the-pan relationship between two rich and successful stars. Blink and you miss it, it’s gone.
But Miley and Liam have been together for ten years: a full decade which is a long time for someone of their age to be together. What is it about celebrity relationships that create this intense possibility for a Nicholas Sparks-worthy love story?
There are few celebrities who have been more critically watched from such a young age as Miley Cyrus. While she attempted to leave behind the Disney Channel Hannah Montana persona behind her as she pursued other forms of acting and music, it didn’t want to let go.
According to Glamour, Miley and Liam met on the set of The Last Song between 2008-2009 and started seeing each other shortly after in 2010. It wasn’t always a straight forward road for them, but finding themselves in a movie where they played lovers certainly didn’t hurt.
But the playful Australian and the sparky American surprised everyone when their relationship didn’t end after a summer or two.
They dated on and off, denying and then confirming their engagement in 2012 when Miley was just 19.
Amidst rumors and drama, the two break off the engagement in 2013, just as her music career begins to take off in a whole new direction.
After dating Patrick Schwarzenegger briefly, Miley comes out as bisexual in 2015 amidst rumors of her dating Stella Maxwell.
But in spite of everything, by 2016, Miley and Liam find themselves back together again.
For what felt like a long engagement for the two stars, Miley and Liam stayed together in their home in Malibu, California, prompting the song after the same name.
“We are just like the waves that flow back and forth
Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning and you’re there to save me,” the lyrics of “Malibu” say, a sweeter anthem of their relationship than much of the grinding, somewhat controversial music Cyrus was known for at that time.
“And I wanna thank you with all of my heart/It’s a brand new start
A dream come true/In Malibu.”
And it was a brand new start for the two of them. But it wasn’t to last.
Their Malibu home was one of many that was destroyed in the wake of the fires in California.
The couple and their animals were safe, but their safe haven was gone.
But even amidst the ashes, they managed to find some bliss: after rumors of secret weddings for years, Miley and Liam managed to have one in December of 2018.
With intimate photographs of the small ceremony that followed, it seemed like they had finally got their happily ever after.
There’s a cruel attitude many cynics of celebrity relationships can have that says “I give it a year.”
Unfortunately, Miley and Liam’s marriage didn’t even make that.
In August of 2019, Liam confirmed what fans had begun to fear: he and Miley were separated.
Amidst Miley’s latest tracks like the romantic ballad “The Most” there is an even newer release from Cyrus called “Slide Away” which seems like the bookend to her anthem of hers and Liam’s relationship.
“So won’t you slide away?
Back to the ocean, I’ll go back to the city lights
So won’t you slide away.”
While some think this song is “shady,” to me, it is an honest representation of Miley’s feelings as a decade-long relationship finally seems to run its course.
With all this money, prestige and so much attention, its difficult for celebrities not to get caught up in a whirlwind romance, to break up after short periods of time once the “honeymoon” period is over or to fall in love with co-stars when they’re still technically together with someone else.
The truth is that we may never know the full story behind Miley and Liam’s separation, nor are we privy to anything they don’t wish to share with us. It can be really difficult when you feel like you grew up with someone, even if they’re famous.
On Instagram and Social Media, we only see the good side of things, the cute moments and the red carpets. In tabloids, we’re fed rumors and negativity. No real relationship is one or the other.
While Miley and Liam’s separation can seem like a heavier loss than other much quicker relationships in the fast world of Hollywood, there’s still much to celebrate about it.
In many ways, they had a much healthier relationship than other celebrities have a chance to have… and in others, they now have the time to grow on their own and find happiness in themselves and other people.
When you’re a teenager, that first love and relationship can seem like the most important one in the world-but for most people it doesn’t last.
“Move on I’m not 17/I’m not who I used to be,” Miley sings in “Slide Away,” a raw reflection of how easy it is for anyone to be in love with the idea of a relationship, or the nostalgia and romanticized notion of who they imagined a person or a time in their life to be.
Since then, Miley has been spotted kissing certain other celebrities and generally “just being Miley” as she takes this time to figure out who she is away from Liam.
It’s not the end of love, but it’s the end of this era: for Miley, for Liam, for us…for now.
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