Cher is the original dazzling disco diva

When you think of the word “diva”, the first woman to spring to mind is, undoubtedly, Cher.

I sat down to speak to the veteran singer and actress about her career, as well as her latest album, and she was very welcoming. Despite being a diva, with Cher you know you’re not going to get a tantrum.

I was lucky enough to be asked along to one of only six interviews she was doing for her press tour. They were all done on the same day, and she had a full costume change for every single one.

For me, she wore a full sparkly wig and a pair of tight trousers not normally seen on a 67-year-old. Can you believe she’s that old?

Of course, we’ve all heard plenty of jokes about Cher and plastic surgery. In fact, I’ve probably told half of them. Like the one about her not being able to stand next to a radiator. And there’s the old gag about her recycling her old vinyl records . . . they’re now her cheekbones.

Who really knows what kind of plastic surgery she’s had done . . . and who really cares? I don’t think the one-liners bother Cher she’s too cool to let that stuff get to her. If there’s one thing a career stretching back nearly 50 years tells us, it’s that she’s a survivor.

She met Sonny Bono in the early 1960s when she was only 16 and, since their folk pop double act took off, she hasn’t really looked back. After splitting up with Sonny in the early ’70s, she had a remarkable reinvention. And since then she’s had several more. From hippy girl to glamorous television presenter, Oscar-winning actress to rock chick it seems she just doesn’t run out of steam. And that’s despite a lot of tragedy and hardship in her life.

Sonny Bono died in 1998 following a tragic skiing accident. Although they’d split up more than 20 years previously, she led the tributes. She’s also had to come to terms with her daughter Chaz’s transition from a woman to a man. She has dealt with it well, but it would be difficult for any mother to handle.

Her latest incarnation as a disco diva which kicked off with that massive hit Believe back in 1998 has worked well, so why change it? The latest album, called Closer To The Truth, is her first album in 11 years, and is more of that kind of radio-friendly, high-energy music. Check it out if you get the chance.

Cher seems to be keenly aware of what her followers expect and she gives it to them. When we sat down for the interview, she still looked fabulous and, well, like Cher. I’ve been doing this job for a while, but Cher is just one of those names. I had to take a moment to compose myself before interviewing her.

But we got on really well straight away. I told her I’d interviewed Bill Medley, one half of The Righteous Brothers. Pop anoraks will know that the backing vocals on the 1964 track You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ were provided by none other than Cher. As soon as I mentioned it her face lit up and she asked me how Bill was doing. And after the cameras stopped rolling she fixed me with that slightly sardonic and entirely mischievous look that only Cher can do.

“And let me tell you, Ross,” she smiled. “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ was the last time I did backing vocals.”

We were having a laugh about that when the wardrobe girl came over to help her prepare for her next interview. That involved changing out of the tight trousers she was wearing.

“I really need to get out of these pants,” she said. I said that was how I liked to end most interviews, which gave her a good chuckle.

Cher will be around for years to come despite being at pensionable age she just keeps on going. Like I said, she’s a survivor. As I get more experienced I can understand that point of view.

There comes a time when you say to yourself that you’re going to keep on going, not give up, and make sure you’re still at the top.

So don’t bet on Cher going quietly, just yet.