Cher: Divorce From Sonny Bono Took A Long Time To Overcome | The Huffington Post Cher: Divorce From Sonny Bono Took A Long Time To Overcome 09/18/2013 07:48 pm ET AP It's no secret that Cher isn't a fan of her late ex-husband Sonny Bono. The mega star has told interviewers in the past that he was "a terrible husband" who "hurt [her] in so many ways." But now, she's opening up about how the actual divorce affected her. Cher spoke to USA Today about her new album, her prolific career, and the struggles she has faced throughout the years, which stemmed from her 1975 divorce . She told the newspaper that the strain the split put on her finances and career was something she was afraid she would never overcome. "I thought I'd never climb out of that hole," she said. "I had no money, and I had to pay him $2 million. It took a long time. I worked my way into a spot in Las Vegas playing two shows a night. My managers were making more money than I was. I pride myself on still being here.

A lot of people were gigantic, and then they were gone." Sonny Bono died in 1998 in a skiing accident. But before his death, Bono went on the record to refute Cher's claims that he was a bad husband. In 1991, he published the book And the Beat Goes On about their life together, and told People magazine that Cher "wasn't a victim." Keep in touch! Check out HuffPost Divorce on Facebook and Twitter . Also on HuffPost: Cher Jokes That Sonny Bono Is in Hell - Us Weekly Cher Jokes That Sonny Bono Is in Hell November 3, 2013 @ 1:15 PM By Stephanie Webber Cher conducted a Facebook Q&A with her fans on Thursday, Oct. 31, and joked that late ex-husband Sonny Bono is in hell Credit: JB Lacroix/WireImage Sonny Bono is still a touchy subject for Cher . During a Facebook Q&A with her fans on Thursday, Oct. 31, the legendary singer answered questions for well over an hour about her professional life, her favorites movies and even about Halloween.

But the most shocking answer of all just so happened to be about her late ex-husband. PHOTOS: Hollywood's ugliest divorces "Hi Cher, if Sonny Bono were still alive today, but you only had a minute to talk to him, what would you say," a fan asked. The response? "How hot is it where you just came from?" Cher, 67, and Bono first met in 1962 and married two years later. The husband-and-wife team broke out in the 1960s and 1970s as the iconic Sonny & Cher, with their major hit "I Got You Babe" and two TV shows. The couple welcomed their only child, Chastity Sun Bono in 1969 (now known as Chaz Bono after undergoing a gender transition in 2008), but the couple eventually divorced in 1975. Twenty-three years later, Bono tragically died of injuries from hitting a tree while skiing in Lake Tahoe in 1998 at the age of 62.

PHOTOS: Hollywood's most expensive divorces Since then, Cher has been open about their rocky romance, and has discussed what a "huge womanizer" Bono was during their marriage. "One woman, or even five, was not enough for him," the "Strong Enough" songstress told Parade in a 2010 interview. "I found all this out afterward. I asked him, 'How did you manage the logistics?' I was trusting and faithful with him," Cher said. "I'm not sure we should've ever been husband and wife." Facebook chat: Does Cher think Sonny's burning in hell? It was a joke! - CNN.com "There are things about him that I miss," Cher says about her late ex-husband Questions about Sonny Bono were among 9,000 asked Cher, who replied to dozens Cher tells fans she thinks about retiring and this is her last tour She jokes her first tour was during the American Revolutionary War Cher is not really thinking that Sonny Bono is burning in hell. In fact, the singer-actress apparently misses her ex-husband.

Cher's zinger response to a fan's question last week during a Facebook chat spurred a slew of news stories by writers who seem to have forgotten the type of comedy that fueled the Sonny and Cher comedy show back in the '70s. Her stinging jokes about Sonny were for laughs, not revenge. Cher, who is about to embark on her "farewell" tour, sat at a computer for several hours on Thursday answering questions posted by fans on her Facebook page. One question set Cher up as well as any line Sonny fed her on their classic variety show. "If Sonny Bono were still alive today, but you only had a minute to talk to him, what would you say?" the fan asked. "How hot is it where you just came from?" Cher said. You could almost see her tongue in her cheek as she typed. Did Cher just suggest that Bono went to hell after his fatal ski accident in 1998? Scroll down, and you'll see her response to another fan asking: "Do you miss Sonny?" "I think about him a lot sometimes," Cher said.

"There are things about him that I miss." Her "how hot is it" joke is reminiscent of the punchlines that Cher, dressed in a Bob Mackie gown, targeted at Sonny to the delight of millions of viewers. She's still got it. Cher's Facebook exchanges give insight into what she does in her spare time, her likes and dislikes, what she would like to do with the rest of her life and who her friends are. So that you don't have to read through the 9,000 other questions posted to gain insight from the several dozen that Cher answered, we've summarized the most interesting of them here as they appeared on Facebook: Cher shares beauty advice Fan: "What do you do to keep yourself in shape and healthy?" Cher: "I don't smoke, drink or do drugs. Maybe twice a year I have a shot of Papi. Don't eat meat AND chose wisely in the gene department." (Please share any insight about "Papi" in the comment section.) Fan: "You are amazing woman and give out so much but I do have one question how do you keep so thin? You look fabulous." Cher: "I literally work my A-- off.

Thank god I like exercising!!!" Fan: "When you look in the mirror, do you see truly how beautiful you are?" Cher: "I don't look in mirrors." Fan: "What skin products do you use on your face? Your skin is awesome!" Cher: "I use Jan Marini and sometimes Proactive." Fan: "I've always been curious about the pink toned eyeshadow, why?" Cher: "I don't know. It used to start with blue. I used to make my own eye shadow when I was younger, because I couldn't get what I wanted, I would make it an a double boiler. I don't know it just kind of started that way. And now it's kind of pink and purple with colored stones, I like doing that. And glitter, for anyone that hasn't figured that out already." Fan: "Do you like to be a brunette or blonde better?" Cher: "I don't care I'm going to be one one day, another the next day. Kinda keeps going around in a circle!" Fan: "What is your real hair like?" Cher: "Black and long. But I cut it recently, but I'm going to let it grow really long.

It's too short, but it's not long enough, I'm used to it being really long. It's about 6 or 8 inches below my shoulders." Fan: "Did you know you were a Diva before anyone knew the meaning?" Cher: "Absolutely. The first thing I said to the doctor "Make sure you cut me a nice belly button, I'm going to be showing it to the world." Cher's likes and dislikes Fan: "What are your biggest passions, cause-wise?" Cher: "I HATE injustice, people who can't defend themselves, children and old people. Then there is the TEA PARTY !!!!! I wish they'd go to Boston and throw themselves overboard." Fan: "Whats Your Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?" Cher: "OOOooo. Rocky Road and Chocolate Chip. And I also like Pistachio. Those are my three favorites. And Haagen Daz strawberry ice cream. I could eat a whole pint of it, and I have. I once ate a dozen Enteman's donuts, and four chocolate dove bars and I didn't even offer Jen a bit.

I'd been in court for a week, and I couldn't eat because it was so traumatic for me, and 9/11 happened in the middle of it, and I almost lost the case; after I won the case I went to the market and got all of it and I didn't even get sick. We lost one juror because he said he was working for SATAN!" Fan: "What is your favorite color?" Cher: "Black. If black is not a color and I love white and if I have to have a color, turquoise or anything neon. This is why I'd never be good one of those dating things, and I had multiple answers to the questions." Fan: "Which do you prefer as a pet dogs or cats? Cher: "I like them both. I've had a couple of dogs I love, and I have mr. Big and I had another cat Jack named after Jack Nicholson. And I had a horse, an Appaloosa name Red Mark." Fan: What is your favorite flower?

Cher: "I like -- it's a tossup -- gardenias, oh, the kind of jasmine you get in Tahiti but I don't know what it's called and casablanca lilies." Fan: "What Is Your Favorite Holiday?" Cher: "Ground hog day" Bob Mackie Fan: "What is your favorite costume that Bob Mackie has made for you?" Cher: "Oh the outfit that I wore on the Academy Awards when I gave the best performing actor award to Don Ameche, Turn Back Time and the cover of Time Magazine" Fan: "Is Bob Mackie doing the costumes for the new tour? I think he really makes a perfect duet partner for you!" Cher: "Yes he is. It will be both of our Farewell tours." Fan: "Since you're known for incredible and elaborate costumes, do you like dressing up? Or are you more of a casual person?" Cher: "I'm so casual that's crazy. I'm some type of a bum, kind of a bum." Cher's celeb friends Fan: "Do you really hang out with Kathy Griffin or does she just make that up?" Cher: "No we hang out.

THE pizza story is absolutely true." (Griffin uses the story in her stand-up act about Cher not knowing how to order pizza for delivery to her Malibu home.) Fan: "What's your most fondest memory of you and Michael Jackson's friendship?" Cher: "I guess him teaching me the routine we did together on TV All of us, because he was so sweet and it was complicated for me. You can see it on Youtube, it's Cher and the Jackson 5. There is another memory I had -- I wanted beaded socks from BOB (Mackie) and I was wearing them and Michael was fascinated with them and I kept saying 'they are MY socks!!!'" Fan: "Do you still think Letterman is an a--hole?" Cher: "Yah but that's what I love about him." Fan: "How was working with Jack Nicholson?" Cher: "Oh, it's wonderful, he's a love. I've known him my whole adult life. He is more amazing then people think he is, and so kind, and he loves women. Actually he loves hanging out with women. He painted a little bull for me for my birthday because we are both Tauruses.

Taurus people rule!" Touring Fan: "Are you looking forward to going back on tour?" Cher: "Um, I don't know. It's been a long time and it's a lot of work, and I'm just going to take it as it comes. I love to put on shows, but I have to just take it a little bit at a time. I don't do things easily, ART is sometimes hard. Because if I don't I'll just get nervous." Fan: "What is your most memorable moment from being on tour?" Cher: "The time I got my hair stuck in my costume at the Astrodome. I got my hair stuck in my zipper!!" Fan: "Will you film the upcoming tour?" Cher: "Yes! I should have filmed the Las Vegas show it was really good. I'll never do another show without filming." Fan: "Will you come to Brazil?" Cher: "I really wanted to this time, there was no support from Warner Brothers Brazil down there so they didn't have me go down but I was hoping to go." Fan: "Do you ever see yourself retiring completely?" Cher: "Oh yeah sure. Jen says no.

I keep think I'm going to, but I won't tour again." (She is likely referring to Jennifer Ruiz, Cher's longtime assistant.) Music Fan: "How do you keep your voice so strong, and clear?" Cher: "I practice." Fan: "Does music still feed your soul Cher?" Cher: "It's such a strange relationship, but I do LOVE singing. I like just like the feeling of it. I actually like the physical feeling of it." Fan: "Are you pleased with what you've accomplished with your new album?" Cher: "Yes! I'm over the moon." Fan: "What's your favorite singer of this generation?" Cher: "Oh my god that's so hard. Adele. I think Adele." Fan: "Which was your favorite album to make? And why?" Cher: "Gosh -- maybe Believe because I was at a really low point in my career and I'd been dropped by my record company. The head of Warner's UK this amazing man named Rob Dickens and he gave me the chance to have a career again. I went there alone because my manager had left me.

I was liking a singing Lazarus." Fan: "Have you ever thought of collaborating with Madonna?" Cher: "Actually I have. I think I'd really like to do something with Madge. This is the thing that I think is interesting about her. That she used music as a way to do ART. Music is the canvas, it's not the finished painting. OMG between the two of us, what are we like 200 hundred years old???!" Television Fan: "Have you considered being a full-time judge on the Voice?" Cher: "Well, it actually seems like it might be a lot of fun. Honestly. It was a lot of work but it was fun." Fan: "Looking forward to seeing you be a Judge on DWTS..." Cher: "I'm EXCITED I have no idea what it's like to be a judge but I was just a mentor on the Voice. Chaz said that he would come and give me some pointers." (Chaz Bono was a Dancing With the Stars contestant in 2011.) Fan: "What is your favorite television show?" Cher: "Turner Classic movies of course, and then the Long Island Medium.

Long Island Medium is the only reality show I'm ever going to watch and I don't consider the VOICE a reality show, but something special unto itself. It's just BLISS." Movies Fan: "One of favorite movies of all time is Mask. Did you enjoy making the movie as much as I enjoyed watching it?" Cher: "I did enjoy making the movie with the actors, I did not enjoy working with the director. Until about the last third he was really mean to me." (Peter Bogdanovich, who directed Cher in the 1985 film, has publicly expressed his dissatisfaction about working with her.) Fan: "What was the last movie you watched?" Cher: "I watched AMERICAN Psycho it was so scary, by myself in the middle of the night." Fan: "Waiting on a new movie. Any in the works?" Cher: "I have things coming up, but it's bad luck if you talk about things before things are locked. I'm working on three different things but I don't want to talk about them." Fan: "Given the opportunity, if there was one part you could play, film or stage, what would it be and why?

Also, have you thought about directing?" Cher: "The Glass Menagerie on Broadway. Absolutely, I did it once, actually a couple of times. If These Walls Could Talk." Fan: "Who would you love to star with in a movie?" Cher: "Val" (Cher is presumably referring to Val Kilmer. Cher dated a young Kilmer nearly three decades ago.) Cher's inspirations Fan: "Who is the most inspiring artist you've worked with?" Cher: "Oh, Meryl. Also, VAL. I once did an audition with Val for a playhouse we wanted to be a part of, and while we were doing this scene I forgot what I was doing and just stopped and watched him." (Cher is, of course, referring to Meryl Streep who introduced her to Val Kilmer.) Fan: "Who influenced you the most in your life?" Cher: "I guess my Mom & Son. I guess it would have to be that." Fan: "Did you ever work with Elvis & what was your opinion of him?" Cher: "I never worked with him, but he was a huge influence. Elvis and James Dean were two big influences on my art.

Listen we kind of sound a like!@! Not so much on my later albums, but my middle albums. It's kind of hard for me because I Didn't have any really female entertainer role models. I had actresses that I love but I wasn't like any of them. It was hard for me and it wasn't that easy." How Cher has fun Fan: "Cher, what do you like to do when your not working to relax?" Cher: "The other night we went to Color Me Mine, that was fun.

I took a whole bunch of kids there!" (Color Me Mine is a franchise chain of do-it-yourself pottery shops.) Fan: "What makes you laugh the most?" Cher: "Being silly!" Fan: "What keeps you up at night?" Cher: "Old movies!" Fan: "What's the last great book you read?" Cher: " I'm still working Zinn's 'A People's History of the United States.' " (Howard Zinn's book details North American history starting with the arrival of Columbus through the early 2000s.) Cher's accomplishments Fan: "Of all the things that you've done in your life, ranging from music to movies to TV shows etc, what are you most proudest of? What is the most significant thing for you personally?" Cher: "I just think that probably my kids first, but afterwards just being. Like Betty White I want to to be Betty White." (Cher is touring at 67. Betty White is still working at 91.) Fan: "Is there anything you have not done that you would like to before it's all over?" Cher: "There are HUNDRED things I'd like to do.

Let's say fifty, that's more realistic." Fan: "Have you ever wished you had a quiet life, instead of being a star?" Cher: "Yes." A few odd questions Fan: "Will you please adopt me? I love you as a person, and as a musician. I sold most of my belongings, to go to your concert, when you came through my town a few years back. I'm sure I'd be a great son. Plus, I'm 32 years old, so you don't have to raise me. Just let me hang out with you." Cher: "Are you a big eater? I'm not taking on huge grocery bills." Fan: "Do your think you are as awesome as you are?" Cher: "Oh I think I suck. No just kidding. I think I'm okay in a pinch. Actually I think I'm just Okay. Fan: "How does it feel to be one of the most famous people in world?" Cher: "I don't know.

I don't ever go around thinking it, it's actually never entered my mind once in my life." Fan: "What makes this world a woman's world?" Cher: "Not enough" Fan: "Did you often tour during The American Civil war?" Cher: "No I toured during the REVOLUTIONARY war. I did my first Farewell tour during the Civil War. I was a strong southern belle who vowed never to go hungry again and did some nursing on the side. I also ran a plantation." Cher Jokes That Sonny Bono Is in Hell, But There Are 'Things About Him That I Miss' - ABC News ABC News Cher Jokes That Sonny Bono Is in Hell, But There Are 'Things About Him That I Miss' November 4, 2013 By SHAMECCA HARRIS via GOOD MORNING AMERICA (Photo Credit: Bettmann/Corbis) Cher is internationally revered for her stunning vocals, haughty fashion and, lest we forget, clever sense of humor. The 67-year-old icon took to Facebook Thursday for some comic relief in a rare Q&A session with fans where she joked that her late ex-husband Sonny Bono is burning in hell.

"If Sonny Bono were still alive today, but you only had a minute to talk to him, what would you say?" one admirer asked. "How hot is it where you just came from?" Cher quipped. Since Bono's death in a fatal ski accident in 1998, Cher has been outspoken about the couple's tumultuous 11-year union. Still, the "Take It Like a Man" singer revealed that there are no hard feelings. "Do you miss Sonny?" another fan asked. "I think about him a lot sometimes," she replied. "There are things about him that I miss." The music legend also opened up about her famous friends, sharing heartfelt anecdotes about the late Michael Jackson and actor Jack Nicholson. When asked to recount her fondest memory of the King of Pop, Cher had this to say, "I guess him teaching me the routine we did together on TV All of us, because he was so sweet and it was complicated for me.

…There is another memory I had, I wanted beaded socks from [designer] Bob [Mackie] and I was wearing them and Michael was fascinated with them, and I kept saying, 'They are MY socks!!!'" See: Cher Through the Years Cher was equally smitten by her "Witches of Eastwick" co-star, writing, "[Nicholson's] a love. I've known him my whole adult life. He is more amazing then people think he is, and so kind, and he loves women. Actually he loves hanging out with women. He painted a little bull for me for my birthday because we are both Tauruses. Taurus people rule!" More than 9,000 questions were submitted in the online session, where the "Dancing With the Stars" guest judge also revealed the secrets to her healthy frame. "I don't smoke, drink or do drugs," she said. "Don't eat meat AND chose wisely in the gene department. I literally work my A-off. Thank god I like exercising," she added. "Did you know you were a diva before anyone knew the meaning?" another admirer asked. "Absolutely." Cher joked.

"The first thing I said to the doctor, 'Make sure you cut me a nice belly button, I'm going to be showing it to the world.'" Sonny's funeral, Cher speaks - YouTube Sonny's funeral, Cher speaks Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Apr 29, 2010 Cher is my favourite singer, and it's her ex husband's funeral, Sonny Bono. Category BIOGRAPHY: Cher Lifetime twitter BIOGRAPHY If she could turn back time, what would the pop queen change? After decades of public heartbreak and career rebirths she's still as youthful as the day she first serenaded Sonny. Cher’s career has lasted over forty years, first as a singer, then as a TV comedian and, later, as a mature and talented actress.

The young Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPierre was dragged out of her job as a studio back-up singer by crooner and music promoter Sonny Bono when she was just seventeen. Failing to impact as double act Caesar and Cleo, the tall, deadpan girl and the diminutive Bono gained huge popularity as Sonny & Cher, though each continued to occasionally record on their own. They ended up marrying in 1964. Musically, the husband-wife team grew ever more popular with hits such as ‘I Got You Babe’ and ‘The Beat Goes On’, but changing musical tastes at the turn of the decade and financing flop films led to the couple becoming seriously in debt. The humiliation of the Lounge circuit finally evolved into Las Vegas appearances. Their onstage banter and lavish Bob Mackie costumes formed the basis of their TV show - the couple started to work on comedy sketches and ‘The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour’ debuted in 1971. It was a hit and ran for three years on US networks. By 1974, Sonny and Cher split, both professionally and romantically. Cher returned to music and recorded a series of commercially successful pop albums.

Sonny eased himself out of showbiz and into politics. Cher on the other hand remarried briefly, in 1975, to Greg Allman. However, film was Cher’s passion of the 1980s and she worked hard on small parts, eventually winning Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards for her performance in ‘Silkwood’. Buoyed by her success, Cher was offered starring roles in ‘Mask’, ‘Suspect’ and ‘The Witches of Eastwick’. In 1988 she won the Academy Award’s Best Actress gong for her role in ‘Moonstruck’. At the same time, her ‘Heart of Stone’ album produced a sizeable hit ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ and a memorably risqué outfit for the video. She made her directing debut with ‘If These Walls Could Talk’ in 1996. Despite her reputation as supporter for gay rights and AIDS charities, Cher was initially less than delighted when her daughter was outted by the press. Their relationship mended in time for Chastity to break the news to her mother that Sonny had died while skiing. The eulogy to her former partner displayed Cher’s vulnerable side to the public.

Chastity was later to rename herself Chaz, following her decision to change sex. A documentary which charts her gender reassignment, entitled ‘Becoming Chaz’, shows Cher explaining that “at some point, I'm going to have to start calling her him”. In 1998, her album ‘Believe’ was to reinvent Cher as an electro pop, disco diva and earn her the biggest selling album of her entire career - the lead single stayed at number one in the charts for seven weeks. Cher launched her last worldwide tour in June 2002, a camp spectacular called ‘The Farewell Tour’, which circled the globe for almost three years, earning close to $250 million. On 6 May 2008, Cher began a three year stint of live shows at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The singer paid thanks to her fans on her website for coming to see the “nearly 200 shows” which she put on in Sin City. Then, hinting at another comeback, the 64-year-old said “Las Vegas, you haven’t seen the last of me”.

2010 saw the singer once again return to the big screen as Tess, the owner of a club, in the hit musical ‘Burlesque’. In an interview with Moviesonline.ca, Cher said that she “got along great” with the cast, including co-star Christina Aguilera, although she admitted the filming was “gruelling”. She said: “The days were longer than any production I’ve ever worked on but it was fun. You forget that it’s fun.” Cher also recorded two new songs for the film, ‘Welcome to Burlesque’ and ‘You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me’, the latter of which won the 2011 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. In 2013 she released her 25th studio album 'Closer To The Truth' which entered the US Billboard charts at number three, earning her highest charting album of her career so far. Most recently she has appeared on the 17th season of 'Dancing With The Stars' and in March 2014, she embarked on her 'Dressed To Kill' tour.

As Cher, 66, prepares to marry a Hell's Angel 24 years her junior, is there anyone she hasn't bedded? | Daily Mail Online comments Cher, the woman who once said: ‘The trouble with some women is they get all excited about nothing — and then marry him,’ is set to marry a former Hell’s Angel. The 66-year-old singer is planning to tie the knot with Tim Medvetz, 42, in Las Vegas later this year, making him her third husband and the latest in a very long line of toyboys. CLAUDIA CONNELL looks back at all the other men in her eventful love life ... Woman in demand: Cher has dated some of the world's most famous men THE CASANOVA WHO: Warren Beatty, actor, director and notorious womaniser who counts Joan Collins and Madonna among his former conquests. WHEN: 1962. The pair had a one-night stand. AGE GAP: He’s nine years older than Cher. THE DETAILS: Sixteen years old and having just left home, Cher met a 25-year-old Warren Beatty, already an established movie star, in a nightclub.

Although he was dating Natalie Wood at the time, he took the teenager back to his LA home. Cher later told Playboy: ‘I did it because my girlfriends were crazy about him and so was my mother. What a disappointment!’ Despite Warren failing to live up to his reputation in bed, the pair remained good friends. THE CROOKED FIRST HUSBAND WHO: Sonny Bono, record producer and singer turned politician. Died in 1998. WHEN: 1963 to 1973. AGE GAP: He was 11 years older. THE DETAILS: Cher met Sonny, then working as a ‘gofer’ for producer Phil Spector, in a coffee shop. They moved in together immediately and married the same year, forming a hugely successful singing duet. Their daughter Chastity, who underwent a sex change and is now known as ‘Chaz’, was born in 1969. It was only after her divorce that Cher realised all the money she earned had been pocketed by Sonny, and she was penniless. She called him ‘a terrible husband’ and said he treated her ‘more like a golden goose than a wife’.

But she forgave him enough to give the eulogy at his funeral when he was killed after hitting a tree while skiing. Lust and love: Cher had a one-night stand with Warren Beatty in 1962 (left), she was married to record producer and singer turned politician Sonny Bono from 1963 to 1973. He died in 1998 THE MUSIC MAGNATE WHO: David Geffen, billionaire music company boss who worked with everyone from John Lennon to Bob Dylan. Came out as gay in 1992. WHEN: 1973 to 1975. AGE GAP: He’s three years older. THE DETAILS: The pair met at the Grammy Awards when Cher was still married to Sonny Bono. He paid for lawyers to end Sonny’s control over her finances. She once commented: ‘I was the first person to share his bed and to share his life. People don’t believe that, or they don’t want to believe it, or they don’t understand how it could be.’ The pair are still close friends and Cher says: ‘David helped me so much.

I had no money and nowhere to live, if it wasn’t for him I’d have ended up on the street.’ THE JUNKIE SECOND HUSBAND WHO: Gregg Allman, musician and songwriter. WHEN: 1975 to 1978. AGE GAP: He’s two years younger. Former loves: Cher dated music boss David Geffen from 1973 to 1975 (left) and was married to musician Gregg Allman from 1975 to 1978. She and Gregg are parents to son Elijah Blue THE DETAILS: They met after one of his gigs, Allman famously said that Cher ‘smelled like I imagined a mermaid would smell’. When Allman fell asleep at their first meeting, Cher declared it ‘the worst first date ever’. But they married within months — although Cher filed for divorce from four days later only to reconcile with him — and their son Elijah Blue was born in 1976. The marriage unravelled due to Allman’s heroin addiction. Now drug-free, he is about to marry his seventh wife.

Love on the road: Cher dated Les Dudek after hiring him as a guitarist for her band Black Rose THE STRUGGLING MUSICIAN WHO: Les Dudek, guitarist and session musician. WHEN: 1980 to 1982. AGE GAP: He’s six years younger. THE DETAILS: The pair met when the pop-oriented Cher decided that she wanted to reinvent herself as a rock star, forming a band called Black Rose. He auditioned as guitarist and got the job — and the girl. The relationship was very on-off, and when their album flopped, Cher dumped the band — and Les. Dudek certainly didn’t struggle for long — he has worked with Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks as well as other big names. THE HOCKEY HUNK WHO: Ron Duguay, hunky Canadian ice hockey player known for his long, curly mullet hairdo. WHEN: 1982 for a month. AGE GAP: He’s 11 years younger. THE DETAILS: They met when Duguay played for the New York Rangers and the couple went out a handful of times.

Duguay was notoriously vain to the extent that he refused to wear a helmet when playing in case it ruined his hair. The relationship was never serious and soon fizzled out. THE ROCK MONSTER WHO: Gene Simmons, front man with hard rock band Kiss. WHEN: 1979 to 1980. AGE GAP: He’s four years younger. DETAILS: They started dating after Cher asked for his autograph for her daughter at a party. They agreed to an open relationship, both seeing other people. Cher said: ‘He might spend the night with other women, I also have a very masculine attitude to dating, but Gene is the one I’m crazy about.’ They split amicably after he fell for Diana Ross. THE BATMAN STAR WHO: Val Kilmer, the notoriously fractious actor and star of The Doors, Heat and Batman Forever. WHEN: 1984 for nine months. AGE GAP: He’s 14 years younger. Toyboy: Cher dated Batman Forever star Val Kilmer, who is 14 years her junior, in 1984 THE DETAILS: At the time he was an unknown actor who’d just landed a part in the Tom Cruise blockbuster Top Gun.

Meryl Streep introduced them and Cher took him as her date to the 1984 Academy Awards, where she was nominated for her role in Silkwood. Cher said: ‘When we kissed I thought my head would shoot right off my body. I had to catch my breath.’ THE YOUNG TOM WHO: Tom Cruise, the highest- paid actor in Hollywood. WHEN: Probably 1985, for less than six months. AGE GAP: He’s 16 years younger. DETAILS: It was only in 2008 that Cher revealed she’d had a secret relationship with the then relatively unknown Tom Cruise, who was 23 at the time. They are thought to have met at a White House fundraiser and dated until their filming schedules forced them apart. Cher said: ‘He was shy and sweet and just the most adorable man you can imagine. I was crazy about him.’ Unlikely couple: Cher also enjoyed a romance with Hollywood star Tom Cruise in the mid-eighties THE MOVIE MOGUL WHO: Josh Donen, producer of such movies as The Quick And The Dead. WHEN: 1985 to 1987.

AGE GAP: He’s 11 years younger. THE DETAILS: They met at a dinner party when Donen was the agent of Cher’s ex-boyfriend, Val Kilmer, but they didn’t hit it off immediately. She thought him ‘rude’ and he saw her as ‘an antisocial bitch’. But they got chatting later on and ended up going home together. Later in the relationship, she described him as having ‘the best strengths of all the men I’ve been with’. It was Donen who advised her to take the lead role in a low budget movie called Mask which won her a Golden Globe nomination. Crazy for Cher: The star with former flames Josh Donen (left) and Rob Camilletti THE BAGEL BOY WHO: Rob Camilletti, a bagel shop worker turned bartender and now a successful pilot. WHEN: 1986 to 1989. AGE GAP: He’s 18 years younger. THE DETAILS: They met on Cher’s 40th birthday party when she was out celebrating with friends. He thought that once he told her he was a baker, she would no longer be interested but she gave him her phone number anyway.

Rob lived with Cher in LA, but carried on with his day job before retraining as a bartender. He now flies private jets for celebrities — including his ex-lover. Their split was amicable — Cher reportedly claimed the media had torn them apart by referring to him as ‘the bagel boy’ and said he was ‘the one true love’ of her life. He still spends every Christmas with Cher and her family. THE HEAVY METAL GOD WHO: Richie Sambora, rock guitarist with Bon Jovi. WHEN: 1989 for six months. AGE GAP: He’s 13 years younger. THE DETAILS: They first met when he produced her self-titled album Cher, but didn’t get together until three years later. At the time Bon Jovi were famous for their hard partying, womanising and drinking and Cher was unable to tame Sambora. They split after she caught him with a groupie in a Madrid hotel room. Rock star magnet: With Bon Jovi star Richie Sambora (left) and Kiss frontman Gene Simmons THE GUITAR HERO WHO: Eric Clapton, English guitarist and rock star.

WHEN: Probably 1995 — a one- night stand when Clapton was single. Fling: Cher also bedded musician Eric Clapton AGE GAP: He’s one year older. THE DETAILS: Their fling had remained a secret until 2010 when Cher, appearing on the David Letterman chat show in the U.S., admitted — among other surprising revelations — that they ‘hooked up once’. It’s unclear when but is most likely to have been when they worked together in 1995 on the charity single Love Can Build A Bridge, which became the official song of that year’s Comic Relief. THE HELL’S ANGEL WHO: Tim Medvetz, a biker turned TV presenter. WHEN: 2008 for two years and again in 2012. AGE GAP: He’s 24 years younger. THE DETAILS: They were introduced by friends and clicked due to their mutual love of Harley-Davidsons, but they went their separate ways when her touring schedule forced them apart. Earlier this year, Cher’s children, Chaz and Elijah, urged her to get back in contact with Medvetz.

Rumour is the pair will marry in Vegas any day. After scaling Mount Everest for a second time, Medvetz reportedly told a friend: ‘I thought that climbing Everest was the ultimate call of the wild, but I think marrying Cher will top that!’ Husband-to-be: Cher dated biker Tim Medvetz for two years before they split in 2010. The pair have now reunited and are due to tie the knot later this year THE COMIC BOOK WRITER WHO: Ron Zimmerman, writer for Marvel comic’s Ultimate Adventure series. WHEN: 2010 for four months. AGE GAP: He’s 12 years younger. THE DETAILS: When Cher introduced herself to Zimmerman — the friend of a friend — on Facebook, he mistook her for an impersonator. She told American celebrity magazine Parade: ‘He thought that I was a Cher impersonator or a hooker — it never occurred to him that it was actually me. We played verbal volleyball for about a month until he called my friend and asked who I really was.

She went: “It’s Cher.”’ She managed to convince Zimmerman to go on a date and, although it was never serious — as Cher was still hung up on Medvetz — the pair enjoyed several trips to the cinema and theatre together before calling it quits at the end of 2010. Zimmerman said: ‘We talk every day, wherever we are. We still hang out, we still have a blast.’ Having a blast: Cher dated comic book writer Ron Zimmerman in 2010 after meeting him on Facebook 1000+ images about Sonny & Cher!! on Pinterest | Chaz bono, Bob mackie and Cher bono Sonny & Cher were an American pop musicduo, actors, singers and entertainers made up of husband-and-wife Sonny and Cher Bono in the and The couple started their career in the as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. See More

Question: Cher's partner was Sonny ... who?
Answer: Bono