Cher has opened up about her childhood, career, and personal struggles in a new BBC documentary ahead of her 80th birthday. The singer, who is the only artist to have a number one single on the Billboard chart in six consecutive decades, reflected on the moment she decided to become a performer after seeing Elvis Presley in concert in 1957.
Born Cherilyn Sarkisian in El Centro, California, to a young mother and an absent father, Cher experienced a challenging upbringing. She recalled: 'We ate a can of stew or a can of beans one week but then sometimes we lived in Beverly Hills.' She also struggled with undiagnosed dyslexia at school, saying: 'I did badly on a maths test and I said, Mom, I just can’t see numbers.'
Cher's big break came when she met Sonny Bono in a coffee shop in 1962. She was 16 and he was 27. Despite initial doubts about his looks, she was captivated: 'He wasn’t handsome. He just was so electrifying.' Sonny later wrote their hit 'I Got You Babe', which Cher initially disliked, but it became a worldwide success.
The couple moved to the UK in 1965, where they found fame. Cher said: 'We couldn’t have become famous if we hadn’t come here.' Their TV show, The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, drew 30 million viewers weekly. However, their marriage ended in divorce in 1974, after Cher gave birth to their son Chaz in 1969.
