Sad article from UK’s Mirror about Miley Cyrus‘ half brother Christopher Cody, 17. Christopher work part-time in an electronics store for £5 an hour [$7.50], and relies on his mother to give him lifts to school, while his sister Miley is worth £17 million [About $32 million]. Although there are just eight months between them and they share the same father, they are worlds apart. Christopher on his last meeting with Miley in Fort Worth, Texas, November 2007:

‘While she was on stage I was watching her from the sidelines. Afterwards we spent 20 minutes in her bus. Her voice is fantastic and I’m very proud of my sister.’

Christopher is disappointed he does not have a closer relationship with the Cyrus family and said it ’sucked’ being excluded from a reality show with them. He read out a string of text messages between him and Billy Ray, which began last Christmas Day with Christopher texting: ‘Merry Christmas.’

He got a reply on January 4 from Billy saying: ‘Hey bud, where you been? You disappeared on us.’ Christopher: ‘I replied, ‘I disappeared? You disappeared. I tried to get a hold of you.’:

Billy Ray concentrates on the career of Miley. Showbiz experts say ‘Brand Miley‘ is worth $1billion [£670m] to Disney. In contrast, Christopher has more modest earnings. “I work at a store for $7.50 [£5.50] an hour. Sometimes I’ll get five hours a week, other weeks I’ll do 20. I take what I can get.”

But Christopher is generous when he talks about his sister. He said: ‘She doesn’t play the superstar in private. She’s a normal teenager having fun and she can laugh at herself. She’s the same now as she was before all this fame. She’s still my goofy sister. Miley is not a self-obsessed person at all.

She’s just trying to have fun while working hard and I don’t know anyone who dislikes her. Miley asked how my mom was doing and was surprised that she had a little girl aged one and another on the way.’

Christopher’s eyes light up when he remembers the times they spent together as children at Billy Ray’s mansion near Nashville, Tennessee. ‘She was always really outgoing and good to be around. We used to play in the games room where there’s a pool table, jukebox, toys and gaming systems.’

While Billy Ray gave Miley a recording studio as a 16th birthday present, Christopher didn’t even get a phone call, card or gift from his natural dad on his birthday last month. And its not the first time Billy Ray has forgotten his son, said his mother Kristin Luckey, who is far more critical of the lack of contact between Christopher and the Cyrus family.

She said: ‘Chris reaches out to have a relationship but it’s been months since they engaged. Chris is a great kid and he handles it very, very well. He tried to keep a lot inside but I know when he’s hurting and really getting to him.’

Kristin recalled how she found out that Billy Ray was going to be a father with another woman. ‘He went on TV and announced that he had a beautiful baby boy and another baby on the way.

And that’s how I found out about Tish being pregnant with Miley. My jaw just dropped. There was a lot of anger in me but we kept talking. Then Billy Ray went on TV and said he and Tish were getting married and she was pregnant again. No one acknowledges his birthday or even Christmas for him.’

She said the multi-millionaire singer has always financially supported their son. Christopher, still hoping that he will get closer to Miley and his dad, added: ‘I’m on good terms but I don’t have a relationship with them really.‘ credit; oceanup.