Cher reveals what Sonny Bono said in the apology that led to his forgiveness: 'It went a long way'

13 October 2023, 12:50

The 'Believe' singer has opened up about the infamous relationship with her ex-husband.

Cher has spoken out about the apology she received from ex-husband Sonny Bono that thawed their icy relations.

When the pair decided to part ways in 1975, following a decade of marriage, Sonny and Cher's relationship was fraught with tension.

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During 1974 divorce proceedings, Cher cited "involuntary servitude" as the reason for the pair's split.

The legal proceedings turned sour as she accused Sonny of withholding her rightful earnings, and he countered by taking her to court for custody of their child, Chaz.

“He pissed me off royally and hurt me,” Cher, 77, says in an interview with PEOPLE magazine this week.

However, when Sonny Bono tragically passed away in 1998, relations between them had improved dramatically, thanks to a heartfelt apology from Sonny to his ex-wife.

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"One day he came into the kitchen at my house and said, 'Cher, I want to apologise. I realised that I hurt you in so many ways, and I was wrong,'" Cher recalls. "That went a long way for me."

While the apology had a profound effect, Cher does say it "didn’t cure everything."

"The fact that he came and said it meant something to me, that at least he acknowledged that he had been hurtful," she explains.

Cher and Bono, who tied the knot in 1964, achieved music stardom during the 1960s thanks to hits like 'I Got You Babe' and 'The Beat Goes On.'

The pair also leveraged their popularity to secure their own TV series The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, from 1971 to 1974.

Speaking of their time on the show, Cher said the pair "had so much fun together," and that any animosity between anger between them would disappear “in five seconds” once they started working.

"Working together was the easiest part of it, because we really made each other laugh," she says. "You can’t fake that kind of stuff."

Bono, who had transitioned from the music industry to pursue a career in politics, tragically lost his life in a skiing accident at the age of 62. Cher's smash hit album Believe in 1998, was dedicated to his memory.