Miley Cyrus ‘Wants to Speak With’ Ex Liam Hemsworth Amid ‘Flowers’ Lawsuit: She’s ‘Very Anxious’

Miley Cyrus may be completely in love with boyfriend Maxx Morando, but she can’t shake the ghost of ex-husband Liam Hemsworth five years after they split.

Friends of the Grammy Award-winning singer, 31, say the current drama over her revenge song “Flowers” has stirred up a ton of new PSTD that’s causing trouble in paradise with her current boyfriend, 25.

“Miley — for the most — has put Liam behind her, but this business with the lawsuit has really set her off again and got her very anxious and freaked out because it’s all coming out that she wrote this song about him,” a source exclusively tells In Touch.

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In September, Miley was sued over the alleged similarities between 2023’s “Flowers” and Bruno Mars‘ 2013 track “When I Was Your Man.”

“Flowers,” which appears to reference her relationship with Liam, 34, became the most-streamed song in a single week in Spotify’s history. However, according to a lawsuit filed in a Los Angeles court on September 16, Tempo Music Investments — which owns a share of the copyright of Bruno’s hit after it acquired songwriter Philip Lawrence‘s music catalog — alleges that many “recognized the striking similarities” between the two songs.

If Miley must divulge information regarding the inspiration for the track, it could bring up a lot of past traumas.

“She was still very angry and hurt when she wrote that song,” says In Touch‘s insider.

Miley and Liam had an on-off relationship for many years after filming the 2010 film The Last Song. After a failed first engagement, the two eventually rekindled their relationship in 2016. They became engaged again that October, and on December 23, 2018, they married in a private wedding ceremony in Nashville.

Things eventually soured between the pair, and Miley announced their separation on August 10, 2019. Liam filed for divorce 11 days later, and it was finalized on January 28, 2020.

The source shares that Miley “didn’t exactly try to hide” the fact that “Flowers” was “directed towards him,” but it’s “really not something she wanted to be forced to talk about.”

Now that a lawsuit has been filed, “It’s looking like she may have to go on record in court and explain her motivations behind the song, which is just very, very painful,” says the source. “It’s reopened old wounds that she thought were healed, but the level of emotion this has triggered has really made it clear she’s got more healing work to do.”

One of the biggest fears amongst the singer’s friends is that she’ll reconnect with the Australian actor.

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“She’s now saying she wants to speak with Liam to give him a heads up and get some closure on the whole painful chapter, which isn’t going over well with Maxx,” the source reveals.

After Miley released “Flowers,” several fans noticed that the song had similar lyrics to “When I Was Your Man.”

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“I should have bought you flowers/and held your hand. Should have gave you all my hours/when I had the chance,” Bruno, 38, sings in his track. “Take you to every party ’cause all you wanted to do was dance. Now my baby’s dancing/but she’s dancing with another man.”

Meanwhile, Miley seemingly responds to similar comments in her song. “I can buy myself flowers/write my name in the sand. Talk to myself for hours/say things you don’t understand,” she sings. “I can take myself dancing/and I can hold my own hand. Yeah, I can love me better than you can.”