EXCLUSIVE
The mysterious Australian wife of legendary musician Billy Ray Cyrus, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, was once the lanky Johanna Rosie Scholem, who grew up in the northern suburbs of Sydney.
Mystery has surrounded the Australian singer after the 36-year-old married Cyrus, 62, in October last year, only for the marriage to erupt with explosive allegations just months later.
Cyrus filed for divorce earlier this year, citing “irreconcilable differences” and “inappropriate marital conduct” as reasons for their split.
Amid allegations of fraud and abuse, Firerose claimed their split was revenge for her revealing she was planning to undergo a preventative double mastectomy for breast cancer.
Now, Daily Mail Australia can reveal new details about Cyrus’s wife’s secret life, which she even hid from her husband.
Firerose is the eldest of three girls whose mother, Debbie, is a retired professional violinist and father, Stephen, is a retired general practitioner.
He operated his medical clinic from his humble family home in suburban North Ryde.
Photos discovered on social media show a Firerose very different from the cowboy-boot-wearing blonde bombshell she is today.
The mysterious Australian wife of music legend Billy Ray Cyrus, country singer ‘Firerose’, was once the lanky Johanna Rosie Scholem, who grew up in Sydney’s northern suburbs.
Firerose (second from left) is the eldest of Debbie and Stephen Scholem’s three daughters.
A family photo from the early 2000s reveals a lanky Firerose sporting jet-black hair, pulled tightly back against her scalp, as opposed to the luscious long, blonde locks she has today.
Firerose grew up Jewish and her family attended Temple Emanuel on the North Shore.
But she has never shared any photos of her family living in Sydney on social media.
Before moving to Los Angeles in 2006, she attended the prestigious Newtown School of Performing Arts and graduated in 2005 with Distinguished Achievement in the School of Performing Arts.
After moving to the US, she reinvented herself as a country singer and recorded a duet with Cyrus, titled New Day, in 2021.
The couple’s relationship grew quickly, recording four more songs and announcing their engagement in November 2022, despite a feud with Cyrus’ superstar daughter Miley.
But Firerose has also faced a battle with sobriety.
Two months ago, she celebrated eight years of clean living by sharing an encouraging message in which she praised God for helping her stay strong.
“Today I am eight years sober thanks to God!” the After the Storm singer posted. “Eight years ago, God performed a miracle in my life.”
“Since then, day by day, I have given my will and my life to Him. He has been loving and faithful in all His promises and has never left me behind,” she added.
“It is only by God’s love and His amazing grace that I can remain sober and share that hope with others who still suffer from addiction.”
Firerose said she “couldn’t be more incredibly grateful” for the “gift” of sobriety, before sharing an inspiring message for fans who may be facing adversity in their own lives.
His newlywed Cyrus commented on the post: ‘I’m so proud of you!’
However, just days later, on May 23, Cyrus filed for divorce. In her petition, she cited irreconcilable differences and inappropriate marital conduct as the main reasons.
He had allegedly become suspicious of her background and the surname she had later given him. discovering that Hodges was not his wife’s maiden name.
She claimed the Australian musician had “lied” about his name “to induce marriage” and that there were “additional things in her background that she was hiding from him.”
Cyrus also requested a restraining order to prevent her from accessing his bank accounts after claiming Firerose racked up $97,000 in debt on his credit cards in a fortnight.
In June, Firerose claimed in an interview that Cyrus constantly yelled at her and made her feel like a “prisoner” in their Tennessee home during their marriage.
A photo of Firerose in Los Angeles shortly after moving to the US in 2006.
Firerose photographed on a discovered Facebook profile
According to Firerose, she met Billy Ray over 10 years ago on the set of Hannah Montana, the Disney Channel series in which Billy Ray’s daughter Miley starred in the lead role.
She called Cyrus an “evil man” and detailed her own allegations of domestic abuse during their two years together, including their seven months of marriage.
She alleged that he subjected her to verbal and emotional abuse after she told him she had to have a double mastectomy and that changed his behavior toward her.
Firerose claimed Cyrus said he would pay for it and left her scrambling for money after he filed for divorce.
She said the weeks leading up to her preventive double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, recommended by her doctor in March, were “chaos.”
According to Firerose, she met Billy Ray over 10 years ago on the set of Hannah Montana, the Disney series in which Billy Ray’s daughter Miley starred.
In a 2021 Live with Kelly and Ryan interview, she explained how they initially crossed paths.
“We actually met 10 years ago on the set of Hannah Montana, and Billy Ray has been a huge supporter of my music ever since,” she said.
“He really believed in me and kept telling me to pursue my dreams no matter what and to not give up.”
Firerose and Billy Ray married in October of last year, but filed for divorce in late May.
She was his third wife: he was married to Cindy Smith from 1986 to 1991 and to Miley Cyrus’s mother, Tish, from 1993 to 2022.
While it’s unclear when they began dating, they reportedly became close after working on music together in the summer of 2021.