Our Body Language Expert Breaks Down Miley Cyrus' Past Relationships
Who isn't intrigued by the love life of Miley Cyrus? The Grammy Award-winning singer, who celebrated her 31st birthday in November 2023, has been involved with musician Maxx Morando since 2021, after meeting on a one-sided blind date. Before her romance with the drummer, though, Cyrus, who has notably been dating in the spotlight since the age of 13, has had her share of boyfriends and girlfriends, rumored hookups, and even a husband. Working exclusively with The List, Nicole Moore, a body language expert and celebrity love advisor, examined video clips of Cyrus in five of her past relationships to see what we could glean from them.
She watched as the "Flowers" singer enjoyed dates with Nick Jonas and Justin Gaston, ate out with Patrick Schwarzenegger, danced in a video with Mike WiLL Made-It, and walked the red carpet with Liam Hemsworth. Moore then used her expertise to read the body language and reactions of both Cyrus and her companions, to get to the heart of what was happening in each of their relationships. Here's what she told The List about the singer's complex romantic past.
Young love: Miley Cyrus and Nick Jonas
When they first met in June 2006, Miley Cyrus was the star of the hot new Disney show "Hannah Montana," and Nick Jonas was part of the hot new boyband, The Jonas Brothers. They were both 13 years old and understandably remained mum about their romance while it was happening. After the celebrity couple broke up in late 2007, Cyrus finally shared a few details about her time with Jonas. "We became boyfriend and girlfriend the day we met," the star divulged to Seventeen magazine in 2008 (via E! News), adding simply, "Nick and I loved each other."
During their time together, the stars were spotted going to and from a date. "In this clip, there is no affection between Nick and Miley, however, this may be due to their young age and not wanting to show their relationship publicly for the cameras," observed body language expert Nicole Moore. She also suggested that the "The Best of Both Worlds" singer was a little insecure about her connection with the "Year 3000" singer.
As Moore noted, "Miley appears to be taking the passive role here and following Nick's lead as she walks with her head downward and several steps behind Nick." As for Jonas, "Nick does not look over at Miley or even acknowledge her in any sort of caring manner," she pointed out, "So it appears as if at this point in their relationship the two hadn't merged fully into couple status and are instead operating more as individuals."
Playful affection: Miley Cyrus and Justin Gaston
A 15-year-old Miley Cyrus met her boyfriend Justin Gaston, then a 20-year-old model and aspiring singer, in 2008. Gaston, who later became "The Young and the Restless" star romancing Abby, was competing on "Nashville Star," a singing competition show hosted by Cyrus' dad, Billy Ray Cyrus. Of her relationship with Gaston, the "Breakout" singer informed "Access Hollywood" that same year, "It's very good. I'm very, very happy." The couple dated for nine months, with Gaston helping Cyrus usher in her 16th birthday in November 2008 before they broke up in 2009.
The couple was caught on camera visiting a book store in Los Angeles, walking to and from their car, and in the store. Nicole Moore, body language expert and celebrity love advisor, examined their interactions. "Miley appeared to be more touchy-feeling with Justin and definitely more emotionally connected to him than to Nick Jonas," she observed. The pro pointed out Cyrus wasn't afraid to flirt, citing the moment when the singer swatted her boyfriend.
"It appears as if Miley likes to show affection by joking and being playful," Moore explained. "Her gesture here of playfully hitting him is one of connection and flirting." The PDA continued in the bookstore, where "Miley continuously looked over to Justin while the pair were checking out books and she leaned her head on him playfully while nuzzling her head into his neck." Suffice it to say, the former Disney star was utterly besotted with Gaston.
Destined to fail: Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth
The on-again, off-again romance between Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth began in 2009 when they met on the set of the romantic drama "The Last Song." The volatile couple broke up multiple times in the subsequent years, were engaged twice, finally married in 2018, and officially divorced in 2020. When the then-married Cyrus and Hemsworth walked the red carpet together in 2019, photographers asked them to kiss. "Miley mock-licked Liam playfully, then looked up at him, almost beaming, attempting to meet his eyes. Her body language shows she was actually looking for Liam's approval," according to body language expert Nicole Moore.
In response, Hemsworth leaned down to whisper to his wife, who shook her head playfully at his words. "Miley then inhaled slightly and her eyes darkened, indicating his words upset her and she was trying to hold it all in," shared Moore. Moments later, the "Hunger Games" star grabbed his wife in a tight embrace, but Cyrus quickly removed his hands.
"Miley indicated with her body language that she wanted to retaliate by pushing him away, just like he had done to her prior," the body language expert acknowledged, which was a major red flag. "This clip definitely demonstrates a power dynamic in their relationship, and why it was destined to fail," Moore revealed. "From their body language alone, we can see Liam is more reserved and Miley is more playful — and that combination did not bode well in their marriage."
Friendzone: Miley Cyrus and Mike WiLL Made-It
The relationship between Miley Cyrus and producer and rapper Mike WiLL Made-It started with their shared love of music. The duo collaborated on Cyrus' hit 2013 album "Bangerz," which he executive-produced. "It was immediate chemistry, immediately just all love," Cyrus gushed to Song Write Club (via TikTok) about their first time meeting. "I knew that he was going to be my partner in crime for that era." Outside of music, rumors circulated that the two were dating, or at least hooking up, although Mike WiLL Made-It always denied it.
At the same time he was assisting Cyrus with her album, she was helping him out with his single, "23," appearing as a guest vocalist on the track. She also showed up alongside the producer in the music video, and body language expert Nicole Moore took the opportunity to take a closer look at how they interacted with each other. "Miley and Mike appear to be friends with little to no romantic connection," she said. "It's possible that the two had a hook-up, but from their body language in the video, the two do not appear to be closely connected."
Moore highlighted the scene where the "We Can't Stop" singer performed in the foreground and then stepped in front of her friend. "When Miley is dancing in front of Mike in the video, Mike isn't staring at her intently or looking at her longingly," the expert argued. "He's looking away from her most of the time, indicating that he's more into himself than into her."
Comfortable together: Miley Cyrus and Patrick Schwarzenegger
In November 2014, Miley Cyrus and Patrick Schwarzenegger were confirmed as having shifted their friendship into a romance. The 21-year-old college student had been crushing on the 22-year-old singer for years, and, as reported by Us Weekly at the time, the two had quietly begun dating weeks earlier. While Schwarzenegger's mom, Maria Shriver, didn't like the romance, that didn't stop the couple from packing on the PDA during their time together. Cyrus and Schwarzenegger ultimately split in April 2015.
Body language expert Nicole Moore watched footage of them spending time together as the sweet couple dined with friends. "Miley was stroking his leg softly under the table, indicating genuine affection and a desire to be close," she pointed out. "Her posture is so relaxed next to him, with no tension in her body at all." Moore claimed that this may be because the two were friends before they dated, so "Miley was already very comfortable with him." Fortunately, Schwarzenegger seemed to be equally smitten with her.
"Patrick appears to want to be as close to Miley as possible, as his leg is placed over her legs while they're sitting, and his body is relaxed and completely open to her," the body language expert and celebrity love adviser shared. Moore also asserted that the "Wrecking Ball" hitmaker was considerably more at ease than before, noting, "It appears Miley could be her true self around Patrick, without needing to have a guard up. In contrast to her posture with Liam which was more stiff, here she appears totally relaxed and in her own body."