Cher reveals being 'manhandled' by Sonny Bono

Cher just opened up about the relationship dynamics she had with her ex-husband, Sonny Bono.

In her latest memoir, Cher: The Memoir, Part One, which was released on November 19, 2024, the 78-year-old Grammy-winning artist recalled how Bono “manhandled” her once, early in their relationship.

When Cher first met Bono, in 1962, she was 16 while he was 27. The early days of when the Believe singer wrote, had began after the former US representative had divorced his first wife, Donna Rankin.

And even though, Cher and Bono could not legally wed under Californian law due to the superstar’s young age and one-year waiting period before the late actor could remarry, the couple moved into a one-bedroom house together.

“He didn’t yell and he didn’t hit me, but he had ahold of my shoulders and his face was clenched,” Cher recalled as she wrote.

She continued, “I was so vehemently opposed to being manhandled, having seen Mom go through it, that I thought, ‘F*** this.’”

“If you ever touch me like this again, I will leave you’re a** and it’ll be the last time you ever see me,” the Save Up All Your Tears hitmaker further mentioned in her memoir.