Sarah Oliver - She Cant Stop--Miley Cyrus: The Biography

O n 23 November 1992 Tish Finley gave birth to a little girl. She was overjoyed that the baby had arrived safely as she was quite a few weeks early. Her partner, Billy Ray Cyrus, the babys dad, wasnt by her side because he was a famous country singer and was away touring the USA and Europe. His number-one single Achy Breaky Heart had been released just a few months earlier. It had topped the charts in America, Canada and Australia, earning Billy Ray worldwide fame. He had planned some time off around Tishs due date in December but because of complications the doctors had had to bring the birth forward.

Billy Ray found out by fax that Tish had given birth and rushed as fast as he could to the hospital. Both Tish and the baby needed extra care from the hospitals medical team and they had to wait eight days before they could go home.

They chose to give the baby the name Destiny Hope because they felt she was destined for great things. She was a little sister for Brandi and Trace, who were Tishs children from a previous relationship. Billy Ray explained on Piers Morgan Tonight, You know, [Mileys] name was originally Destiny Hope. I had given her the name before she was born because I had a vision. I felt it was her destiny to bring hope to the world.

When I see her selling out arenas around the world or on her TV show, making people laugh, bringing families into the living room together, we always, you know, try to put positive messages in each episode if we could. And you know, I do think that she this is her purpose her path.

Miley was born into a complicated mess. Billy Ray had met Tish while he was still married to his wife Cindy, although they had an amicable divorce soon afterwards. Billy Ray and Tish met in July 1991 and started out as friends. Brandi was only four and Trace was just two at the time. As their relationship developed they fell deeply in love and were so happy when Tish fell pregnant.

However, just a few months before Billy Ray met Tish he had had a brief relationship with a Kristen Luckey, a waitress hed met at one of his gigs, and in April 1993 she gave birth to a bouncing baby boy. She named him Christopher Cody. The fact that both Tish and Kristen had been pregnant at the same time had the potential to cause great harm to Billy Rays singing career so it was kept hush-hush for as long as possible.

Billy Ray and Tish got married on 28 December 1993, when Miley was one and Tish was pregnant with their son Braison. Billy Ray wanted to commit completely to Tish and knew that marriage was something she really wanted.

Billy Ray didnt talk about his secret son in interviews but the week after Miley turned two he was on a Tennessee show called Music City Tonight. One of the shows hosts knew that Billy Ray had got Tish and the other woman pregnant at the same time so asked him about it. He didnt know what to say but then Miley toddled onto the set pushing a pram and saved the day. All the focus centred on her and Billy Ray could rest easy.

Destiny was a very happy baby and was always smiling and cooing. Because of this Billy Rae and Tish decided to give her the nickname Smiley and they soon discovered they were calling her Smiley more than Destiny. Shortly before she started at school they decided that they couldnt call her Smiley anymore because other children in her class might tease her for it so they shortened it to Miley. From that day onwards Destiny/Smiley has been known as Miley. She made it legally her name in January 2008 when she was fifteen, choosing to add the middle name Ray in memory of her granddad.