Cher says her mother wanted to put Sonny Bono “in jail” because of their 11-year age difference

• Cher says her mother wasn’t happy when she started dating Sonny Bono, who was 11 years older.

• The “Believe” singer told CBS Sunday Morning that she had “lied to him a few times” about her age.

• These days, Cher prefers younger men: she has a 40-year age difference with her current partner, Alexander Edwards.

There’s at least one person who initially didn’t approve of Cher’s age-gap relationship with Sonny Bono: her mother.

During an interview with Anthony Mason on ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ on Sunday, Cher opened up about how her relationship with Bono – who was 11 years her senior – started when she was a minor.

The “Believe” singer first met Bono at a coffee shop in the early 1960s and she lied to him about her age, she said.

“I lied to him a few times. I told him I was 18, and then someone said, ‘You know, I don’t think she’s 18.’ So I said, ‘Okay, I’m not 18, but my birthday is next month’ – which was true – ‘and I’m turning 18,'” Cher told Mason, recounting her words.

“He said okay, and then I was 17. And my mom told him she was going to put him in jail,” Cher said.

Her first meeting with Bono left a huge impression on her, she said.

“I thought it was like when Tony met Maria,” Cher said, referring to the main characters from “West Side Story.”

While it wasn’t “love at first sight,” it was “something” she had “never felt before.” She said, “I mean, everyone disappeared and it was just the two of us. But he didn’t like me. .”

Although Bono did not initially find her attractive, their relationship eventually blossomed, she said.

Cher married Bono in 1964 and they soon began performing together. Their child, Chaz Bono, was born in 1969 and the couple divorced in 1975.

Looking back on their relationship, Cher says their 11-year age difference never felt strange.

“He was a bit childish. He had to be honest with me because I didn’t expect anything. I didn’t want money, I didn’t think about anything, you know. And all those other women his age, they wanted him to grow up” , Cher said.

These days, Cher – now 78 – prefers to date younger men.

“And the reason why I date young men is because men my age or older — well, now they’re all dead — but before they just never, they were always terrified to approach me,” Cher said on “The Jennifer”. Hudson Show” in May.

The singer has been in a relationship with music director Alexander Edwards since 2022. They have a 40 year age difference.

Cher is not alone celebrity in a relationship with an age gap. Others include Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver, who have a 46-year hiatus. Jay Z and Beyoncewho have a gap of twelve years, and Blake Lively and Ryan Reynoldswhich have a gap of 11 years.

In March, Whoopi Goldberg said on “The View” that she once did that dated a man 40 years older than her. In the same episode, her cohost Joy Behar said that it is “scientifically smart” for women to date younger men because they have similar lifespans.

A representative for Cher said the singer had no further comment.

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