"My career destroyed my marriage" is a common complaint heard bydivorce lawyers in Pasadena. In fact, demanding jobs are often cited by divorcees as one of the primary factors as to why their marriage didn't work out. But here in Los Angeles, sometimes it's the child's career in show business that causes the family to break apart. Billy Ray Cyrus told GQ Magazine this week that his daughter Miley's super stardom on the Disney hit show Hannah Montana "destroyed my family."
Cyrus, who played Miley's dad on the show and experienced a career revival because of Hannah Montana's success, says if he had the chance to do it all over again, he'd turn down the opportunity.
"I hate to say it, but yes... I'd take it back in a second," he told GQ. "For my family to be here and just everybody be OK, safe and sound and happy and normal, would have been fantastic. Heck, yeah. I'd erase it all in a second if I could."
Not too terribly surprising after the very public dramas the Cyrus clan has been through over the past few months. First Billy Ray and his wife Tish filed for divorce last November. A few weeks later, amidst rumors of the newly eighteen-year-old Miley spiraling out of control, photos and a video surfaced that featured Miley smoking hallucinogenic herb salvia with a bong.
After months of silence and public speculation, Papa Cyrus has decided to speak out.
"Oh, it's huge - it destroyed my family," he told the magazine, referring to Hannah Montana. "I'll tell you right now - the damn show destroyed my family."
In the interview, he also said that he fears for his daughter and feels like he has been unfairly blamed for her behavior.
"I'm scared for her," he said. "She's got a lot of people around her that's putting her in a great deal of danger. I know she's 18, but I still feel like as her daddy I'd like to try to help. Take care of her just a little bit, to at least get her out of danger. I want to get her sheltered from the storm. Stop the insanity just for a minute. When you go through what she's been through, it takes a beating on you. And there comes a point where you just got to step back."