When two celebrities romantically entangled, it’s virtually impossible for the press or their fans to ignore it. Superstar singer, Cher knows this all too well seeing as how she has dated quite a few fellow stars over the years. From Tom Cruise to Warren Beatty – and of course, most famously, Sonny Bono.
But perhaps you forgot that the pop icon was once romantically involved with actor Val Kilmer. Cher and Val Kilmer were an item between 1982 and 1984. Their relationship widely publicized, as their breakup.
The seemingly happy-as-can-be couple seemed overjoyed together and have remained close friends following their separation. So you might be wondering, what went wrong? Well, Cher recently gave an interview where she revealed the real reason why she and Kilmer parted ways. Keep watching to see what she had to say.
Cher Says She And Kilmer Were Both ‘Alpha Males”
Dating somebody that is as bold as you are can certainly be an exhilarating experience. But it can also result in some significant turbulence. And that’s exactly what seems to have happened with Cher and Val Kilmer.
Cher told People that while she and Kilmer had some ‘unbelievable times’ together. But they also had to put up with other times when things weren’t exactly smooth sailing. The couple would often butt heads over issues both trivial and large. Cher says that their main issue was the fact that they were both, as she put it, ‘Alpha males’.
She elaborated on that by sharing that they were both wildly independent individuals and that neither of them were willing to give that up.
That perpetual pursuit for independence routinely caused trouble in their relationship. Cher told people that what she and Kilmer had to put up with from each other was more than they had to with any other partner. Kilmer would routinely go off and do his own thing. So while they were definitely madly in love. They also had to take a step back at times and just respect each other’s paths.
Cher also shared that she had a difficult time staying angry at Kilmer. No matter what he did, no matter how bratty and entitled he could be. Every time he called, it didn’t matter where she was, she would go be by his side.
The ‘Believe’ singer further revealed the cutesy nicknames that she and Kilmer had for each other which likely will give you a bit more insight into their unique dynamic. The couple went by names like Sid and Ethel and Valus Maximus and Cherus Repimandus. And Cher says that the names fit their roles in the relationship perfectly.
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And don’t you dare think about going anywhere so soon. Stay tuned to learn about some of Kilmer’s most prolific romances. His relationship with Cher was just the tip of the iceberg.
Cher Was By Kilmers Side When He Got Sick
Kilmer diagnosed with throat cancer back in 2015. But he didn’t tell the public what he was going through until 2017. As his health continued to deteriorate, Cher invited him to come stay at her guest house. He lived there for a huge chunk of time that he was ill. Cher has since shared that all the while he was battling his ailment, Val remained brave.
Cher also shared a story that Kilmer also touched on in his 2020 memoir, I’m Your Huckleberry. On one evening, Kilmer suddenly woke up vomiting blood. Cher immediately stepped up to the plate and called an ambulance while staying by his side for moral support. When the paramedics arrived, the two shared an unexpectedly humorous interaction.
As soon as the ambulance came, Kilmer caught Cher checking out an especially handsome paramedic. Even though he was covered in blood, Kilmer caught Cher’s eye and bounced his eyebrows like Groucho Marx as if to say something along the lines of ‘hubba hubba’.
Cher was embarrassed to be caught but she burst out laughing at the audacity of the situation. There they were joking about lust and beauty while he looked like a stunt double from a Quentin Tarantino film. Kilmer’s life was literally in jeopardy, but he and his ex-lover were sharing a laugh together.
They Started Out As Friends
Kilmer shared in his book that he didn’t want to meet Cher at first because he imagined that they had next to nothing in common. He thought that she was just some boring character out of the tabloid pages.
Cher and Val first became acquainted at her birthday party in 1981. They were introduced by a mutual friend and hit it off almost immediately.
Cher and Kilmer’s relationship started off as a friendship. It was the fact that their union was built upon that foundation that likely allowed it to survive after their breakup. They became close in the first place because they shared a similar sense of humor. Whenever they were around each other they were constantly laughing at the same things. At first, Kilmer would sleepover at Cher’s place and it was just an innocent friendship, but in time it grew into something else.
The Grammy-winning singer and Val eventually became an exclusive couple despite their 13 year age gap. Val was in his early 20s at the time and Cher was well into her thirties. It was an unlikely pairing, for sure, but that didn’t stop them from falling head over heels in love with each other.
Despite their age gap, Cher and Val shared an undeniable bond and a strong connection. Looking back on those years, Cher praised the ‘Topgun’ alum for being so good with her two children, Chaz Bono and Elijah Blue Allman, as well as for instilling in her a great deal of confidence in her professional work.
Sadly, their romance came to an end in 1985 when the two terminated their relationship after being together for four years.
Cher says that even after their breakup, she still loves him very much. And in his memoir, Kilmer expressed very similar sentiments about his former lover. He said that he and Cher ‘had a wild ride’ and although they eventually went in separate directions, their ‘spirits stayed united’.
Cher Sent Kilmer A Heartfelt Letter After Watching Kilmer’s New Documentary
‘Val’, a documentary about Kilmer’s life and career, debuted at the Cannes Film Film Festival and July 2021 and hit the streaming service Amazon Prime in early August. The film features footage that Kilmer shot himself throughout his career, as well as childhood and family home movies.
Cher has described Kilmer as one of the most creative souls that she has ever known and that he was brave for doing the film in the candid way that he did.
After watching the film, she penned a letter to Kilmer addressing him as ‘Valus Maximus’ where she apologized for ever hurting his feelings or making him angry. She told him that she loved him while showering him with praise for all of the frank, brutally honest details that he allowed to be shared in the documentary. She wrapped up the note by telling Kilmer that he is ‘brave and beyond brilliant’ before signing off with her nickname, Ethel.
Val Kilmer Has Dated His Fair Of Stars
Val shared in his book that he hasn’t had a girlfriend in 20 years, but he certainly saw a lot of action in his younger years. Kilmer’s four-year fling with Cher wasn’t his only high-profile celebrity romance either. Quite the opposite actually.
Kilmer and English actress Joanne Whalley met when they were co-stars in the 1988 fantasy film ‘Willow’. Reportedly, Whalley fell in love with Kilmer on set, promptly married him, moved to New Mexico, and spent the next seven years of their lives living together there.
During those years, the couple welcomed two children into the world while continuing their acting careers. Whalley stared in several films like 1991s Shattered, 1992s Storyville, and 1994s Trial By Jury.
After she and Kilmer divorced in 1996, Whalley’s career slowed down substantially. However, in 2005 she reemerged and has worked regularly in TV and Film ever since.
In stark contrast with his other star-studded romances, Kilmer’s romance with Ellen Barkin received very little press coverage, but in his 2020 memoir, Kilmer shared several memories of their relationship.
Kilmer described Barkin, whom he only dated briefly back in the 80s, as one of the ‘enchantresses’ who got away. Furthermore, he blamed the failure of their relationship on his professional preoccupations and his neglect.
Back in 1996, Kilmer enjoyed a brief romance with the world-famous supermodel Cindy Crawford. In 2018, she shared a Tweet that suggested that the two at one point even considered purchasing a home together.
In 2004, Kilmer was cast as Angelina Jolie’s co-star in Oliver Stone’s Alexander. Kilmer was immediately taken by her beauty and was eager to start rehearsing with Jolie so that could kiss her. At the time, Jolie had just divorced her second husband, Billy Bob Thornton, and Kilmer thought because of that, he might have a chance with her. Their brief relationship never really went anywhere, but she nonetheless left a lasting impression on him.
In 2001, Kilmer started dating Daryl Hannah when they were both cast in the film In God We Trust, but recently he revealed that Hannah left him brokenhearted at the end of their relationship. Hannah went on to marry folk-rocker Neil Young in 2018. Since then, Kilmer has described that break-up as the most painful one that he has ever gone through.
Kilmer Met Actress Michelle Pfieffer while filming the 1985 ABC after-school special, One Too Many. While Kilmer never explicitly confirmed it, it’s rumored that they had a brief relationship. There are also rumors that Kilmer briefly dated reality star and hotel heiress Paris Hilton. She and Kilmer met on the set of Val’s 2003 film, Wonderland.
We’ve been hearing a lot about Val Kilmer lately. With the recent release of the documentary film Val and the Top Gun reboot right around the corner, it’s pretty safe to say that the world has not seen the last of Mr. Kilmer. His health might not be what it used to be, and his love life might not be quite as steamy as it once was, but he’s a living testimony to the resiliency of the human spirit.
After receiving his throat cancer diagnosis in 2015, he very well could have just thrown in the towel so-to-speak, but he didn’t. He kept fighting. He never let his guard down or let his passion fade, and likely this helped him overcome the disease and take his life back – and for that, Val Kilmer definitely deserves some props.
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