Elizabeth Hurley hopes to have a "great life" with Billy Ray Cyrus

She told E! News: "It was unexpected. But we're very happy together. And hopefully we'll have a great life."

Elizabeth turns 60 next month and she's looking forward to celebrating the milestone with her new beau.

She said: "I always leave things to chance, I like birthdays though.

"I like getting presents, I like getting flowers, I like everyone being nice to me for a day. So, whatever we do will be fun."

The 'Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery' star's comments come after 63-year-old musician Billy praised Elizabeth as a "great human being".

He recently told their romance has evolved, recalling how they met while filming 2022's 'Christmas in Paradise' movie.

In a clip from 'The Ty Bentli Show', Billy Ray said: "We did very few scenes together but the couple times we were in the same scene there was a chemistry there. We just laughed, and it was at a time I wasn't laughing a lot.

"The oddest part was first, how much we laughed. Second, I figured we were so different but in some very strange way we had way more in common than we had different.

"If all we ever were [is] the friends that we are, I would take that. She's so impressively brilliant. She reminds me a lot of Dolly Parton. She's a very smart businesswoman.

"If you can laugh together, you can make it through everything."

While the pair met on the movie set, they didn't speak to each other for two years after shooting the film.

But Elizabeth re-entered Billy Ray's life when he needed a friend, following his split from wife Firerose.

He shared: "I felt like, 'Wow, can life get any harder? Can it get any tougher?' For me, at a certain point it was like, you can't get knocked down any flatter than laying on your back when life is kicking you. And in this moment ... a friend reached out."

Billy didn't recognise the number at first, so he text Elizabeth back.

He recalled: "I text back, I go, 'Who is this?' And it's like, 'Elizabeth Hurley.' Of all the people to reach out to me in that second that maybe I needed most ... this friend who made me laugh."