Cher Gushed About Dating ‘Shy Boy’ Tom Cruise In The 1980s & Admits He’s Still In Her ‘Top 5’ List

Sep 23, 2025 by apost team

Both Cher and Tom Cruise have been pivotal figures in the entertainment industry in their own ways. They’ve each gone through highs and lows in their respective careers and are no strangers to having their personal lives out front and center in the spotlight. While many people have become fans of Cher for her music and Cruise for his acting, many people have also become increasingly interested in learning more about their romantic relationships.

Cher has dominated the music industry with her distinctive voice and captivating stage presence for several decades, also taking center stage in numerous film productions. Some of her biggest hits include “Believe,” “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down),” and “If I Could Turn Back Time.” She was famously linked to her musical partner and real-life husband, Sonny Bono, from the duo Sonny & Cher. Cher has also been linked to a few other celebrities, such as Val Kilmer.

Cruise is most famous for his role as Ethan Hunt in the “Mission Impossible” franchise, as well as starring roles in “Vanilla Sky” and “Jerry Maguire.” He has also had a handful of public relationships, including marriages and divorces from actresses Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman, and Katie Holmes.

While many might not envision the two together, Cher and Cruise actually had a relationship at one point in their lives. During the 1980s, the two were romantically involved, and Cher has since considered Cruise one of her best lovers. Read on to find out more about this iconic duo’s unlikely pairing.

Cher was born Cherilyn Sarkisian on May 20, 1946, in El Centro, California. She didn’t always live such a lavish lifestyle, as Cher and her family struggled financially while the star was young. 

Before she was even a teenager, Cher had already shown a great interest in the arts and even produced her own performance of the musical “Oklahoma!” for her fifth-grade teacher and class. Since she could not convince the boys in her class to participate, Cher decided to act out the male roles and sing their songs herself. Her unusually low voice fascinated many and ultimately led to her becoming the star she is today.

Cher was later enrolled at Montclair College Preparatory School, a private school in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Encino. The upper-class environment of the school came as a shock to Cher. Although she was not the best student, Cher was still knowledgeable and very creative, and her striking looks and personality made her even more of a leading light among her classmates.

When she turned 16, Cher dropped out of school, left home, and moved to Los Angeles with a friend. She dedicated her life to her passion for becoming a star and began taking acting classes while working to support herself by dancing at small clubs. There, she was able to introduce herself to a litany of other performers, managers, and talent agents. Her bold personality paid off when she met fellow performer Bono in November 1962.

Cher and Bono grew closer and became good friends before turning their friendship into a romantic relationship. They married in a hotel room in Mexico on Oct. 27, 1964. They went on to have one child together named Chaz. 

apost.com

Although Bono and Cher’s original intent for their musical partnership was to help launch Cher’s solo career, Cher had other plans. She insisted that her new husband join her on her musical journey, which led to the formation of Sonny & Cher. 

Cher admitted that Bono was very controlling of her life, but she has grown to look at the past with a sense of fondness.

“We had a weird relationship,” Cher explained. “I don’t expect anybody to understand it.”

According to The Daily Mail, the two called it quits in 1975, as Cher claimed he treated her “more like a golden goose” than a wife. The two stayed friends until Bono’s death in a skiing accident in 1998.

Around the time Cruise and Cher had a fling, Cruise was also finding his footing in Hollywood as a new star and was enjoying a bit of the bachelor lifestyle. During the 1980s, he was romantically linked to Cher, actress Rebecca De Mornay, and musician Patti Scialfa. This was also before he married Rogers in 1987.

Even though Cher and Cruise’s relationship ultimately didn’t work out, Cher said she was still on good terms with him, according to a 2018 report from The Daily Mail. She has also continued to rave about how great he was as a partner on various occasions.

Unbeknownst to many, Cher was clinically diagnosed with dyslexia. Despite being unable to read music, she could understand and interpret it, even crediting it for her photographic memory. 

“I can read something and pretty much get the feeling of it the first time,” she told Entertainment Weekly. 

Dyslexia was also a common struggle for both Cher and Cruise, who was also clinically diagnosed. Their paths first crossed in Malibu at Madonna’s high-profile wedding with Sean Penn in September 1985. A month later, the White House hosted an event for high-profile individuals who had overcome dyslexia, prompting their reunion. 

“Then a bunch of people who were dyslexic were invited to the White House, and Tom and I are both dyslexic,” Cher recalled to The Daily Mail.

At the time, Cruise was 22 and 16 years younger than Cher. Despite the glaring age gap, Cruise’s innate charm greatly impressed Cher. 

When asked if they immediately hit it off, Cher recalled:

“No, no, no! We didn’t go out until way later, but there definitely was a connection there.”

In a 2008 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Cher revealed that she and Cruise dated for a long time and even lived in his apartment. 

She also described dating Cruise to The Independent, saying:

“And he was so, like, different. He was a shy boy. He didn’t have any money.”

Although the exact timeline of Cher and Cruise’s relationship remains unclear, it certainly happened between 1983 and 1986. 

During an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live” in 2013, Cher was asked by host Andy Cohen who some of her best lovers were.

“Well, a lot of them kind of came in first,” Cher said. “I had just the greatest lovers ever.” 

When Cohen asked about her relationship with Cruise, Cher said, “He was in the top five.” She also explained that her list is “not a long list. It’s just a good list.”

The subject was brought up again during a 2018 episode of “The Late Late Show” with James Corden, where Cher affirmed that Cruise was still on her Top 5 list. 

Did you know that Cher and Tom Cruise had a relationship? What can you say about it? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends, and other loved Cher and Tom Cruise fans out there!