Cher will always have a place in her heart for Val Kilmer.
In a new interview with People, Cher opens up about her relationship with the “Top Gun” actor, who is the subject of the new documentary “Val”.
RELATED: Val Kilmer’s Voice Reconstructed Via AI After It ‘Was Taken From Me’ By Throat Cancer
“We called ourselves Sid and Ethel. Val didn’t want to yell ‘Cher’ and I didn’t want to yell ‘Val,'” Cher recalls. “We also called ourselves Valus Maximus and Cherus Reprimandus. It was just kind of who I was in the household. Of course he was Maximus, come on.”
The former couple met in 1981 and dated from 1982 to 1984, and have remained close friends ever since.
“He was so young. Was he 22? What was I? I don’t know. Thirty something. It was a bigger deal back then,” Cher says. “The truth was, if I hadn’t gone out with younger men, I would have never had a date. Younger men weren’t intimidated by older women. But older men in my age category, they weren’t having it.”
She adds, “Our sense of humour, and what we would put up with from one another, was more than I think I’ve ever had with any other guy. 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.”
RELATED: Val Kilmer Didn’t Want To Do ‘Top Gun’, Found Playing Batman To Be ‘Isolating’
Cher also recalls being there for Kilmer when he was stricken with throat cancer.
“He was at my house a lot of the time he was sick. He was brave the whole time. I saw how sick he was,” she says. “Once when the paramedics showed up after he was so sick and coughing up blood, he looked at me and I looked at him and we both knew what we were thinking. Because those guys are so handsome. When one of those paramedics comes to your house, you just know you’re going to see somebody who’s really cute.”
Talking about seeing his new documentary, Cher says, “He is so creative like nobody I’ve ever known and how brave he was to do it in the way that he did it. He’s an artist. He can be a brat too but you forgive him. You forgive him everything. Even when I was angry, it was still a joy. If he called, it wouldn’t matter where I was, I would go.”
