Tish Cyrus Reveals She Suffered ‘Psychological Breakdown’ Amid Billy Ray Cyrus Divorce

Tish Cyrus is lifting the curtain on her divorce from Billy Ray Cyrus.

The couple was married for 30 years, and filed for divorce multiple times, eventually splitting for good in 2022. They have six children total, including Tish’s kids from a previous relationship, Brandi, 36, and Trace, 34, as well as Billy Ray’s son from a previous relationship, Christopher, 31.

They had three children together: including Miley, 31, Braison, 29, and Noah, 24.

Tish, joined by daughter Brandi, sat down with Alex Cooper for the latest episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast and revealed she went through a very tough time at the end of the marriage.

Tish recalled that during the COVID-19 pandemic she was in L.A., while Billy Ray was in Tennessee.

"During that period, I took a really good, hard look at life, my life, and, like, what was I gonna do?” she said. "Because it had not been in a good place for a long time. And I think I did stay so long out of fear of being alone. Like, I had met him when I was 23, 24."

The star recalled, "So being alone, and all of a sudden just having kind of the weight of the world off my shoulders, and I was able to just breathe. And smoke pot and garden, and go skinny-dipping in my pool. That's what I did during COVID. It was hugely transformative."

Just as Tish was finding her footing, however, her mom died.

"I was alone during that time. I had to go through it alone, and I literally can't believe I did that," Tish recalled. "It was so crazy, my two biggest fears in life were being alone and my mom passing away. And I had one month of a complete psychological breakdown. It was the worst thing — it was not good. I just kind of pushed the mom thing under the rug, and then the divorce thing came."

She shared, “I could not eat, I could not sleep, I could not stop crying. I don't have my mom, and then I don't have my husband that has been my husband for 30 years. Like, I'm scared."

As for when she knew the relationship was over, Tish said, “When it actually fell apart is when I stopped [changing myself]. When I stopped doing that, it was over.  [I was] looking at myself being like, ‘What in the heck are you doing?’ So, I literally just had made that firm decision, and I was like, ‘I’m moving on with my life.’ You know what, girl? It worked out for the best.”

Tish eventually bounced back and went on to marry actor Dominic Purcell over the summer.

Does she wish she had left Billy Ray earlier? She said, "I really didn't want Noah to still be young, but looking back on it, it would have been much better for her had I left."

She is seeing a difference between the two marriages. “Disrespect just lays it out in so many ways. I [didn’t] even know — until I had a new relationship [where] there was so much respect — how much disrespect there was in my marriage before. Honestly, on both our parts.”

Tish also addressed Billy Ray's 2011 claims to GQ that the show "Hannah Montana," starring him and Miley, had "destroyed" their family.

She insisted, "Absolutely not. I just think he was having a moment."

Brandi added, "The family's not destroyed, first of all. We're doing great."

Tish also revealed, “I am a Christian and I love weed,” explaining it was Miley’s Bangerz tour that led her to use marijuana.

“I did not smoke pot until the Bangerz tour 10 years ago. I was like, ‘This is the devil, the gateway drug,’” she said.

“But we were on tour and I'm on a brand-new tour bus with Noah and Miley's manager. I'm going to sleep, but there is a fire from a burst tire.”

“We pull to the side of the road, I'm trying to get Noah, my dog, and to wake the manager up. Three minutes later, the bus exploded. My pajamas, laptop, everything burnt. It was crazy,” she said.

From that point on, she struggled to sleep. She tried Ambien, but it made her feel “so bad.”