Things escalated once my husband started dancing with the dog. New Year’s Eve, linking hands with Alfred the boofhead golden retriever at our neighbour Cheryl’s house. “He’s asking for it,” said one woman watching the pas de deux unfold.

She was right. Alfred, up on his hind legs, had a different dance in mind. Smiling widely, he locked onto Chris in a full-body press. Chris was laughing so hard he couldn’t break Alfred’s clinch. And thus we were walking home shortly after, so he could get changed.

Liz Hurley and Billy Ray Cyrus made for one of the more memorable couplings of the year.Credit: Getty Images

That was my favourite unlikely union of the night, but not of the year. Because 2025 was when celebrities stopped being famous for nothing or concentrating on wellness, and started living big, messy, operatic lives again.

Knocking Alfred and Chris off top spot for an unexpected union is Liz Hurley and Billy Ray Cyrus. Their Easter hard launch – bunny ears, pashing – was the cultural peacock moment we didn’t know we needed. Liz’s cruise ship glamour beside Billy Ray’s frontier-town chic made every Insta shot look like a Tennessee period drama.

Meanwhile, Liz’s son Damian was the constant third wheel, looking........

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