These days, Miley Cyrus is first and foremostly recognised as a singer with a kooky attitude and a penchant for getting as nude as possible without actually showing anything that should be blurred out. For a certain generation of us, however, she will always be the teen with a secret country music persona: Hannah Montana.

The kids' show, which ran for almost five years and had just shy of 100 episodes, followed the life of Miley Stewart (played by Miss Cyrus, of course) and her on-stage persona as Hannah Montana. The series was wildly successful, and inspired tweenage girls from all over the world to pop-it, lock-it, polka-dot-it in front of their TVs on a daily basis.

But whatever happened to Hannah? We know what became of Miley Cyrus, of course - but what about Miley Stewart? Well, the Wrecking Ball artist has the answer... but die-hard fans of the show might not want to know what it is.

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Last week, Cyrus appeared on the first episode of the new season of Ru Paul's Drag Race - first disguised as a male member of crew in the werk room, and then later as herself on the judging panel.

The contestants were all thrilled to see her, with one drag queen picking her up and taking her for a piggy back ride after noticing who she was under her fake beard. And she delighted in equal measures when it came time for her to critique everyone's outfits, especially after a bit of witty back and forth with Ru.

During this exchange, Ru asked Miley, "Whatever happened to [Hannah Montana]?"

To which the singer replied, "A lot of drugs."

Ru Paul then joked, "That won't make the edit" - but, evidently, it did.

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While her alter ego may have fallen off the straight and narrow, though, Cyrus seems to be getting along just fine right now. She recently married Liam Hemsworth in a secret ceremony - but was very clear that she is still queer, no matter the gender of her partner.

"We’re redefining, to be f***ing frank, what it looks like for someone that’s a queer person like myself to be in a hetero relationship. What I preach is: People fall in love with people, not gender, not looks, not whatever," she said.

"What I’m in love with exists on almost a spiritual level. It has nothing to do with sexuality ... gender is a very small, almost irrelevant part of relationships. I wore a dress on my wedding day because I felt like it, I straightened my hair because I felt like it. But that doesn’t make me become some instantly 'polite hetero lady.'"

While we may not have Hannah anymore, then, we certainly still have Miley - and she isn't planning on going anywhere anytime soon!

Miley Cyrus has spoken out about the "trauma" she experienced from being sexualized in the media since she was 16 years old.

The singer/actress, now 28, was thrown into the public spotlight in March 2006, after being cast as the lead role in the Disney Channel show Hannah Montanna.

Originally drawing the largest audience in Disney Channel history, the popular show ran until 2011, and made Cyrus a household name in the process.

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However, in a new interview with Rolling Stone, Cyrus has opened up about the "long-term" impact the scrutiny on her body has had on her.

"I think I knew who I was meant to be, but I'm sure there's something in there. Some trauma of feeling so criticized, I think, for what I felt was pretty average teenage, early [twenties] exploration," she said.

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However, the star then added that she believes there has been "big progress" in media coverage, "especially towards women and bodies".

The 'Best of Both World' star added: "I don’t even know if you really can slut-shame now. Is that even a thing? The media hasn’t really slut-shamed me in a long time."

Nonetheless, Cyrus did recall a time when she was sexualized at just 16 years old.

"I was like, 'Yo, when I'm 16 and you’re circling my boobs and s**t like that... I'm the bad guy?' I think people are starting to go, 'Wait, wait, wait. That was f***ed up.'

"They’re starting to know who the enemy and who the victim was there," she added.

Miley recently uploaded this retrospective of the last decade to her Instagram account:

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In another recent interview with Howard Stern, the pop icon and daughter of country music star Billy Ray Cyrus touched upon life in lockdown, the Californian wildfires that torched her home, her breakup from her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth, and her subsequent relationships following their split.

Miley revealed that lockdown guidelines hadn't dampened her love life too much, stating: "[It’s been] really interesting and challenging. I do a lot of FaceTime sex."

Listen to this extract from Miley's interview with Howard Stern below:

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Cyrus also spoke out about the end of her relationship with actor Liam Hemsworth, saying: "Our house burned down. [Liam and I] had been like, engaged.

"I don't know if we really ever thought we were actually going to get married, but when we lost our house in Malibu – which if you listen to my voice pre and post-fire, they’re very different. So that trauma really affected my voice.

"I had so much and it was all gone, every song I had ever written was in that house. Every photograph of me that my parents had given to me, all my scripts, I lost everything.

"And so in trying to put that back together, instead of going: 'Oh, nature kind of did something I couldn't do for myself; it forced me to let go', I ran toward the fire."

She added: "You’re attracted to that heat and me being an intense person and not wanting to sit with it, and not wanting to go, you know: 'What could be purposeful about this?' I just clung to what I had left of that house, which was me and him."

"And I really do and did love him very, very, very much and still do, always will."

Hannah Montana was an important part of many kids' childhoods. Both the show and the catchy pop music Miley Cyrus created as her alter-ego was a symbol of 2000s Disney Channel. But since the show ended in 2011, and thus the existence of Hannah Montana, Miley has changed a lot.

She was 18 when she killed Hannah Montana in cold blood (not literally, of course, that just wouldn't fly on Disney). Now 26, she's lived much of her life in the spotlight, and she attributes her massive shift in character to losing her virginity.

Check out Miley giving the ultimate throwback to her Hannah Montana days:

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When asked in an interview with Elle if she ever wanted out of Hannah Montana during the show, Miley said:

"I did once I was 18 because it felt ridiculous. The minute I had sex, I was kind of like, I can’t put the fucking wig on again. It got weird. It just felt like ... I was grown up."

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She recalls one of the moments she knew she had to put her sparkly, fringed wardrobe in the back of her closet was after an experience at a theme park:

"One time I went backstage at Disneyland, and Peter Pan was smoking a cigarette. And I was like, 'That’s me. That’s the kind of dreams I’m crushing.' That’s how everyone felt with the bong video, but I’m not a Disney mascot. I’m a person.
"

But this interview isn't' the first time the pop star and actor has reflected on the influence of her past identity. She previously told CBS News: "I think why people loved Hannah Montana was because Hannah Montana did feel real. And that's 'cause I was under there.''

Check out Miley's carefree dancing at her wedding to Liam Hemsworth:

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But while she looks back on her time as Hannah Montana fondly, she doesn't negate its challenges as she told CBS: "I definitely look back on it as a good time. I think what was hard for me was balancing everything" and "I mark that up to doing some extreme damage in my psyche as an adult person."

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That sounds like a complicated relationship, and I can't imagine her cognitive dissonance. Cheers to Miley for coming such a long way.

Can you believe it's been six years since Miley Cyrus twerked at the MTV Video Music Awards? Like previous pop queens Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, she bucked her squeaky-clean image with a raunchy performance. Robin Thicke sang Blurred Lines, and she twerked in a nude bra and underwear while sticking her tongue out. It was an instantly iconic moment, and a very, very strange episode of Hannah Montana.

Today the Wrecking Ball singer has settled down - sort of. Last December, she married Australian actor Liam Hemsworth, and shared several adorable wedding photos. However, she also revealed a new, super NSFW tattoo, the word 'p*ssy,' on her ankle. So her wild days might not be over yet!

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In a cover story for Vanity Fair, Miley reflects on her career. At age fifteen, she posed for for a revealing photo, wearing only a bedsheet, sparking controversy. She said "that wasn’t like a conscious thought of O.K., I’m going to make sure right now is a good time for me to take that next step into adulthood and piss people off. It just felt right."

She also commented on the 2013 VMA's, and revealed that Donald Trump gave her a call the next morning. The 19-year-old was staying at Trump Tower at the time, and he called to congratulate her on her racy performance. "I loved it," Trump stated, according to Miley. "And now he's our president," she reflected to Vanity Fair, with a sigh.

Miley is one of several celebrities who pledged to leave the country if Trump was elected president. However, the singer, who campaigned for Hillary Clinton, ultimately decided to stay. "You know, I said I would move away if he became president," said Miley. "We all said a bunch of shit we didn’t mean."

"Because we really thought: Maybe people will listen," she explains. "Maybe people actually realize how detrimental this will be to our f***ing country if this happens. Obviously they didn’t. But for me to move away - what the f**k is that going to change? As someone who is so proud of being an activist, am I going to feel proud of myself just running away from, and leaving everyone else here to live under, a completely racist, sexist, hateful asshole? You can’t leave everyone else to fend for themselves."

Well, there you have it. Miley Cyrus' racy performance at the 2013 VMA's received Donald Trump's seal of approval. And he's qualified to judge, having owned the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants from from 1996 to 2005.

"Well, I'll tell you the funniest is that I’ll go backstage before a show, and everyone's getting dressed and ready and everything else, and you know, no men are anywhere," Trump told Howard Stern in 2005. "And I'm allowed to go in because I'm the owner of the pageant and therefore I'm inspecting it. You know, I'm inspecting, I want to make sure that everything is good."

He continued, "You know, the dresses. ‘Is everyone okay?’ You know, they're standing there with no clothes. ‘Is everybody okay?’ And you see these incredible looking women, and so, I sort of get away with things like that."

Miley Cyrus has caused a ruckus online following her latest photoshoot with Wonderland Magazine.

The Flowers singer has never been afraid to say things as they are, even if it may come across as a bit insensitive.

Over the years, the musician has freely expressed herself through her songs, costumes, and themes - boundaries simply don't feature in her vocabulary.

From making jaws drop back in 2013 with the release of We Can't Stop and Wrecking Ball, the latter of which she appeared nude for on a real wrecking ball in the music video, Cyrus isn't afraid of controversy.

But now, the 33-year-old has shown off more of her body to fans in a Wonderland photoshoot, which has made heads turn.

Miley Cyrus revealed an intimate part of her body in the photoshoot. Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty

Miley Cyrus flashes in photoshoot

The Hannah Montana star didn't hold back in snaps, pulling her pants down in one snap... a bit further than many would have expected.

Cyrus can be seen revealing the area above her most private area, showing off her pubic hair in a snap that has caught many off guard.

One fan account joked: "Wasn't expecting a Hannah Montana bush reveal."

She isn't showing it all off in every snap, but she can be seen cupping her bare breast in one of the snaps and revealing some side-boob in another.

A different snap also showed that her nipple was out, while she dangerously walked the line in other snaps as she showed off an array of outfits for the magazine.

But she remained unapologetically Miley, as many fans picked up on the NSFW vibe of the shoot.

One wrote: "It looks good anyway," as another penned: "We’ve known she’s had a bush for like over a decade lol."

A third added: "Nothing Miley does surprises me anymore lol," as a different user joked: "She's not beating around the bush."

Many were more shocked though, as one particularly shocked user noted: "Didn’t think I’d be seeing Miley Cyrus’ pubes on my timeline while I’m eating my lunch."

Some of her diehard fans didn't pay much attention to the photos, instead asking questions about her upcoming album, which she teased.

The musician celebrated the 20th Anniversary of Hannah Montana earlier this year. Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Miley Cyrus on her upcoming album

As well as posing in the risque photos, Cyrus opened up about her upcoming studio album, the tenth in her career.

She explained: “This album is a love story, but love stories are never one-dimensional. They’re always layered.

"There is definitely a romantic thread weaving through it because, like all my records, it’s a reflection of where I am in my life.

"But this one feels especially meaningful because this feeling has stayed with me through multiple eras."

Featured image credit: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty