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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Saman Javed

‘The stage was calling me’: Cher makes surprise appearance at Balmain show

Getty

Cher surprised fans on Wednesday as she closed the Balmain show during Paris Fashion Week.

The 76-year-old pop icon, actor and philanthropist appeared on stage following Olivier Rousteing’s presentation of the French atelier’s 2023 collection.

Cher was dressed in a latex bodysuit, featuring structured shoulder pads and a corseted top with a plunging neckline. The look was completed with chunky platform boots and black gloves.

Rousteing and Cher shared a hug and walked across the stage holding hands as her 1998 single, “Strong Enough” played.

Shortly after the appearance, Cher described the experience as the “best time”.

“Felt great,” she wrote on Twitter, adding that it was “probably [the] best fashion show ever”.

“Models were beauty from another universe. Clothes [to] die [for]. Stage was calling me...Cher...Oh Cher...Come home. I hear you,” Cher said.

The surprise appearance has been hailed by fans on social media, with one viral tweet describing it as the “perfect ending for such a magnificent show”.

“The one and only, Cher, the legend,” another person wrote.

A third user said: “I just love love love Cher. A true fashion icon.”

“An unreal beauty. It’s so good to see you Cher,” another person wrote.

Speaking to WWD, Rousteing described Cher as a “true trailblazer” and “style icon”.

“Cher has been a daring pioneer, a true trailblazer, for over six decades, never slowing down, always pulling us along with her, as she courageously marches forward,” Rousteing said.

“’Style icon’ doesn’t come close to describing her achievement of defining more than a half-century’s worth of fashion’s trends.

“And, in this challenging age that compels us to fight for long-overdue changes, her impressive, long-term commitment to dedicated activism is an example to all.”

Earlier this year, Cher revealed she suffered three miscarriages during her first marriage to fellow singer Sonny Bono as she condemned the US Supreme Court for overturning Roe v Wade.

“Republicans are trying to make it illegal for a woman to leave her state to get an abortion. Republicans will make prisoners/chattel of American women,” the singer wrote on Twitter.

“How do Republicans plan to track our sisters? Maybe they’ll inject microchips into them like they do with dogs.”

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