Liam Hemsworth Will Always Have Feelings for Miley Cyrus

Oct 29, 2015 11:32 AM EDT

They are no longer together and have endured a controversial split, but The Daily Mail reports that Liam Hemsworth still holds a candle for ex-fiancee Miley Cyrus.

In the report, the Hunger Games star admits that after five years of being together, Hemsworth cannot easily shake off his feelings for the Bangerz star.

"I mean, look - we were together five years, so I don't think those feelings will ever change," the actor said in an interview with Men's Fitness Magazine.

In the same interview, the hunky actor also admits that he feels that Cyrus is a "free spirit" with more "baggage." He goes on to say that often, people have no choice of who they fall in love with, a mild allusion to Cyrus' nasty antics that eventually led to the downfall of the power couple.

Cyrus and Hemsworth initially met while filming the Nicholas Sparks movie The Last Song in 2009. Sparks flew, and the two became an item, later getting engaged.

Many feel that the end of the relationship in 2013 was caused by Cyrus' dramatic personality change ever since she exchange her lush brunette locks for a short, blond pixie cut. The pop singer's music and branding dramatically changed as well, from a demure, Christian teen who famously starred in Hanna Montana, to a drug and profanity-loving Cyrus by the time she hit 22.

The straw that broke the camel's back was when Cyrus dressed up as an underage child and gestured provocatively with fellow singer Robin Thicke during the MTV Music Awards.

After the breakup, Cyrus spiraled ever lower, going as far as pulling out a marijuana joint at an awards ceremony and publicly declaring that she was a "pansexual" - indicating that her sexual preferences would not be limited by gender as long as there was consent and both parties were of legal age.

Of this personal trajectory, Hemsworth explains it away as "spiritedness" saying that Cyrus had high spirits and was the kind of person who would do whatever she thought she wanted to do.

Meanwhile, Glamour Magazine reports that Hemsworth and Cyrus are not as estranged as people think and are very much, though surprisingly, in touch with one another.

The report states that the two actors frequently run into each other on the Los Angeles circuit and "text each other." Despite the fact that they remain friendly, the two former flames have kept the association purely platonic.

Nevertheless, Hemsworth says of their past relationship: "It was real."