EXCLUSIVE
The mysterious Australian country singer and wife ‘Firerose’ of music legend Billy Ray Cyrus was once the awkward Johanna Rosie Scholem who grew up in the northern suburbs of Sydney.
The Australian singer has been left in limbo since the 36-year-old married Cyrus, 62, in October last year, only to have their marriage annulled amid explosive allegations just months later.
Cyrus filed for divorce earlier this year, citing “irreconcilable differences” and “inappropriate marital behavior” as the cause of the split.
Firerose claimed their split was an act of revenge for revealing she wanted to have a preventive double mastectomy due to breast cancer, amid allegations of fraud and abuse.
Now Daily Mail Australia can reveal new details about Cyrus’ wife’s secret childhood life, which she even kept hidden from her husband.
Firerose is the eldest of three girls. Her mother Debbie is a retired professional violinist and her father Stephen is a retired general practitioner.
He ran his medical clinic from their modest family home in the suburb of North Ryde.
Photos found on social media show Firerose looking very different from the blonde lady in cowboy boots she is today.
The mysterious Australian country singer wife ‘Firerose’ of music legend Billy Ray Cyrus was once the awkward Johanna Rosie Scholem who grew up in the northern suburbs of Sydney
Firerose (second from left) is the eldest of three daughters of Debbie and Stephen Scholem
In a family photo from the early 2000s, a beanstalk-like Firerose can be seen with raven black hair pinned tightly to her scalp, in contrast to the luscious long blonde locks she has now.
Firerose grew up Jewish and her family attended North Shore Temple Emanuel.
But she has never shared photos of her family in Sydney on social media.
Before moving to Los Angeles in 2006, she attended the renowned School for the Performing Arts in Newtown, graduating on the Distinguished Achievers List in 2005.
After moving to the US, she rediscovered herself as a country singer and recorded a duet with Cyrus in 2021, titled New Day.
The couple’s relationship developed explosively: four more songs were recorded and in November 2022 their engagement was announced, despite a feud with Cyrus’ superstar daughter Miley.
But Firerose also struggles with her sobriety.
Two months ago, she celebrated her eighth birthday with an encouraging message praising God for helping her stay strong.
“Eight years sober today, by the grace of God!” the After the Storm singer posted. “Eight years ago, God performed a miracle in my life.”
“Since then, I have surrendered my will and my life to Him one day at a time. He has been loving and faithful in all His promises and has never abandoned me,” she added.
“It is only through God’s love and His wonderful grace that I can stay sober and share that hope with others who are still addicted.”
Firerose said she “couldn’t be more grateful” for the “gift” of sobriety, before sharing an inspiring message for fans who may be facing setbacks in their lives.
Newlywed husband Cyrus commented on the post: ‘So proud of you!!!!’
Just days later, on May 23, Cyrus filed for divorce. In his petition, Cyrus cited irreconcilable differences and marital inappropriateness as the primary reasons.
He is said to have become suspicious about her background and the surname she had given him after and discovered that Hodges was not his wife’s maiden name.
He alleged that the Australian musician had “lied” about her name “to engineer a marriage” and that there were “other things in her background that she had [was] to hide from him’.
Cyrus also filed a request to block her access to his bank accounts after he claimed Firerose had racked up $97,000 in debt on his credit cards in two weeks.
In June, Firerose alleged 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 depicted on an unearthed Facebook profile
According to Firerose, she met Billy Ray more than 10 years ago on the set of Hannah Montana, the Disney Channel series that starred Billy Ray’s daughter Miley
She called Cyrus a “bad man” and detailed her own allegations of domestic abuse during the two years they were together, including their seven months of marriage.
She alleged that he verbally and emotionally abused her after she told him she would have to have a double mastectomy, and that this changed his behavior towards her.
Firerose alleged that Cyrus said he would pay for it and then left her with money after he filed for divorce.
She claimed 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 more than 10 years ago on the set of Hannah Montana, the Disney series that starred Billy Ray’s daughter Miley.
In a 2021 interview with Kelly and Ryan, she explained how their paths first crossed.
“We 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 not to 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’ mother Tish from 1993 to 2022.
It’s unclear when they started dating, but they reportedly became close after working on music together in the summer of 2021.