'WE ALL NEED LOVE, RIGHT?'

Famous friend David Furnish is leading the high profile fans of Elizabeth and Billy Ray's sweet romance

- ANDREA CAAMANO AND KATE THOMAS

Judging by their flurry of social media posts with one another, Elizabeth Hurley's new romance with singer Billy Ray Cyrus is going from strength to strength.

And those closest to the actress and designer are delighted for their friend. David Furnish, a close confidant, tells HELLO! exclusively that he couldn't be happier.

"She's very happy and I wish her all the best," he says of Elizabeth, who celebrates her 60th birthday next month. "Obviously that side of me is a little protective - because your best girlfriends, when you really love them, you just want to make sure they're okay.

"But I also know her as really smart and really capable of looking after herself and a really good judge of character," he adds. "So I'm excited for her and I'm excited to see where it goes. We all need love, right?