Cher at the BBC

In celebration of her 80th birthday, Cher, the only solo artist in history to have clocked up number ones on the Billboard chart in seven consecutive decades, talks about growing up in a house full of music, her strong work ethic, her school misunderstanding her dyslexia and an unconventional mother who helped her see Elvis live at an early age.

Cher is honest about her relationship with figures such as Sonny Bono and Phil Spector, being told by Meryl Streep that she had a great natural acting talent and being charmed by Jack Nicholson. She remembers the Oscars and the films Silkwood, Mask, Mermaids and Moonstruck, which earned her an Academy Award, three Golden Globes, and the best actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Cher admits she only took up acting when she was dropped by two record companies.

I Got You Babe knocked the Beatles off the top of the charts and began a love affair with the UK that would last a lifetime, demonstrated as Cher speaks fondly of her time rollerblading near her home in Wapping. Her dance floor anthem, Believe, remains the biggest-selling single by a solo female artist in British chart history.

Cher is always fascinating and full of humour, in interviews with BBC presenters including Lauren Laverne, Steve Wright, Rylan Clark, Vernon Kay, Terry Wogan, Jackie Brambles and Simon Mayo. Plus, we hear mentions on Breakfast Time from Jeremy Paxman, a visit with Joan Rivers and Peter Cook on a BBC chat show and a live performance with ex-husband Gregg Allman for Bob Harris on the Old Grey Whistle Test.