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Cher Recalls Being ‘Madly in Love’ With Val Kilmer and Reveals Nicknames They Have for Each Other
It’s been four decades since legendary singer Cher was romantically involved with her former boyfriend, Val Kilmer, in the early 1980s. But despite all the time that has passed, the “Strong Enough” songstress can still recall how “madly in love” she was with the Top Gun actor.
“He’s like nobody I’ve ever known. [Val] is exasperating and hysterical. Thrilling and funny, and doesn’t do what anyone else does,” Cher, 75, wrote in a People article, published on Wednesday, August 25.
The “I Got You Babe” artist also revealed the adorable codenames they gave each other. “We called ourselves Sid and Ethel. Val didn’t want to yell ‘Cher’ and I didn’t want to yell ‘Val.’ We also called ourselves Valus Maximus and Cherus Reprimandus,” she gushed. “It was just kind of who I was in the household.”
The music icon pointed out how natural their relationship has been since ending their romance, saying, “I don’t know how we stayed friends, we just did. We didn’t try. We just were.”
As Cher remembered, she met the Batman Forever actor, 61, at her birthday party in 1981, and upon being introduced by a pal, the two completely hit it off. “We became friends because we laughed at the same things constantly. He would sleep over, and it was just a friendship [at first],” she penned. “That took a long time. Well, I guess not really a long time.”
The Grammy winner and Val became an exclusive pair despite the 13-year age gap, with Cher saying even she didn’t think they were “going to get along” at all. “I was thinking, ‘This guy is nuts.’ He was so young. Was he 22? What was I? I don’t know … 30-something,” the Burlesque actress stated, dishing why she doesn’t regret giving their love a shot.
“It was a bigger deal back then. [But] the truth was, if I hadn’t gone out with younger men, I would have never had a date,” Cher explained. “Younger men weren’t intimidated by older women. Older men in my age category, [however], they weren’t having it.”
Regardless of their age gap, the Moonstruck star and Val shared an undeniable bond and connection. Looking back on their years-long romance, Cher praised the Tombstone alum for being “so good” with her two kids, Chaz Bono and Elijah Blue Allman, as well as giving her “a lot of confidence” in her professional work.
Above all, though, Cher said her favorite thing about their relationship was all the laughs they shared. “Our sense of humor, and what we would put up with from one another, was more than I think I’ve ever had with any other guy,” she wrote. “He would just go off and do his own thing and you just had to be prepared. And he was so beautiful. It went from madly in love and laughing hysterically to respecting each other’s ability.”
Sadly, their love affair came to an end in 1985 when the two ended their relationship after four years. Though the former couple ultimately parted ways, they’ve remained close friends after all these years. As Cher said, she “loved” Val and will always “love” him.
“I [just wrote to him], I said, ‘Valus Maximus, I’m sorry if I did anything to piss you off or hurt your feelings,'” she revealed. “‘I love you, and your [July 2021] documentary [Val] was all things … I love the things that made me angry, the things that made me hysterical, amazed, hurt, astonished, etc. You are brave and beyond brilliant. Ethel.'” Hopefully, Cher will get a response.
