Rise and fall of a Disney princess. HANNAH Montana is all grown up. Visions of a scantily-clad Miley Cyrus at this year's MTV VMA Awards is proof that these days the star is less Disney and a whole lot more dirty.
Cyrus' sexualisation follows in the footsteps of fellow ex-Disney poppettes Demi Lovato and Lindsay Lohan; both of whom have struggled with lawsuits and substance abuse and multiple stints in rehab.
As Donny Osmond so eloquently wrote after her ranking in the 2008 edition of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people, "as an idol to teens the world over, singer-actor Miley Cyrus, 15, is riding a huge tidal wave at the pinnacle of her career; this is as it should be. I hope she enjoys it. [ ...] Within three to five years, Miley will have to face adulthood. [ ...] As she does, she'll want to change her image, and that change will be met with adversity."
So how did Miley get here?
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
Miley was born Destiny Hope Cyrus to Letitia Jean "Tish" and country singer Billy Ray in 1992. She is 20 years-old.
Cyrus changed her name from Destiny Hope to Miley Ray in 2008 in tribute to her grandfather, Democratic politician Ronald Ray Cyrus. "A lot of people say Miley changed her name to Miley Ray because of Billy Ray, but that's not true," Billy Ray told CNN.
"She did that in honour of my dad, because the two of them just loved each other to pieces."
The name Miley was born out of her tendancy as a child to smile. Billy Ray nicknamed her 'Smiley, eventually morphing into what she is known as today.
FAMILY
Miley grew up on a farm near Nashville, Tennessee, with two siblings and three half-siblings.
Her half-brother Trace is the vocalist and guitarist for band Metro Station.
In July Billy Ray and Tish called off their divorce for the second time running. Billy Ray first filed divorce papers in October 2010 but called it off in March 2011. Tish filed on June 13 this year.
"We both woke up and realised we love each other and decided we want to stay together. We both went into couples therapy, something we haven't done in 22 years of being together, and it's brought us closer together and really opened up our communication in amazing ways," Billy Ray said in a statement to US Weekly.