The Cher and Sonny Bono romance is arguably the most prominent example of a toxic celebrity romance. However, now, the "Believe" singer is ripping the curtain back and revealing just how terrible Sonny could be as a partner.
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Recently, Cher put out a new memoir that recounts an incredibly illustrious career and the romances along the way. Most notably, there's the relationship with Sonny Bono. PEOPLE magazine captures the excerpts of a contentious matrimony between the pair. As much as they were huge in public, things were incredibly messy and toxic behind the scenes.
By 1967, Cher had a third miscarriage, causing concern that she would never be able to birth a child. Meanwhile, Sonny couldn't be bothered, crafting the script for their next film Chastity. Consequently, Bono felt like he needed a secretary to help finish the writing process. However, it didn't take long for her to notice that their writing arrangement isn't merely a platonic connection.
Cher Learns of Sonny Bono's Infidelity After Devastating Miscarriage
The legendary singer writes of a night when she gets up for water and sees the shadows of two people. Initially, she moves a bit obliviously until 'rustling and whispering' causes Cher to put the pieces together. "At that point, I knew something was wrong, but kept walking back toward our bedroom, when I saw the shadowy figures of Sonny helping his new assistant out the front door," she writes. "It was such a f***ing cliché. It broke my heart, but you've got to give him an A for effort."
Eventually, she calls their relationship off as Bono feverishly cobbles up a lousy explanation. Cher's mother informs her daughter that she had been overhearing rumors about Sonny's infidelity for some time. It doesn't take long for him to gaslight her into getting back together with him though. "'I wouldn't have had to look outside our marriage if I was sexually satisfied,' he insisted," Cher recalls. "That was such b******t, but by the time he'd finished I found myself apologizing."
The pair finally welcomed their son Chaz into the world in 1969 but called it off for good in 1972.
