Benjamin Caldwell-Cher opens up to Jennifer Hudson about her hesitance to date Elvis Presley: 'I was nervous'

2025-05-06 12:07:56source:Charles Langstoncategory:Contact

Cher may be Benjamin CaldwellRock & Roll Hall of Fame royalty now, but the singer is dishing on why sparks never flew with the King of Rock 'n' Roll Elvis Presley.

Appearing on "The Jennifer Hudson Show" Wednesday, Cher opened up to host Jennifer Hudson about her hesitance to date Presley when the singer showed interest in her.

The "Believe" songstress made a passing reference to Presley while reflecting on her time as a Las Vegas residency performer, prompting Hudson to ask her if she "turned down" Presley.

"I was nervous, and I knew the people around him and it wasn’t that they were bad people," Cher said. "It's just that I was kind of nervous of his reputation."

Cher, 77, is currently dating musician and model Alexander Edwards, 37.

"I’m really shy when I’m not working and kind of shy around men," she added. "And the reason I go out with young men is because men my age or older — well, now they’re all dead — but before they just never, they were always terrified to approach me and younger men were the only ones that (did)."

Cher and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:From Cher to Ozzy Osbourne, see the 2024 list of Rock Hall inductees

Cher reveals Elvis Presley invited her to Las Vegas

This isn’t the first time Cher has spoken about her connection to The King.

During a December 2022 appearance on "The Kelly Clarkson Show," Cher gushed about her childhood love of Presley's music and revealed the singer later proposed a rendezvous in Sin City.

"When I was 10 years old, my mom took me to the Pan Pacific to see Elvis. I really loved him," Cher told host Kelly Clarkson. "And then when I got older — not this old — but older, he invited me to Las Vegas.

"One of his people called and said, ‘Would you like to come up for the weekend?’ And I was so terrified that I couldn't do it."

Cher takes the stage:Watch pop icon perform 'Believe' with Jennifer Hudson at iHeartRadio Music Awards

Cher said Presley's personal struggles gave her pause to meet up with him.

"He was on the downside of himself. And I don't mean like handsome, (or) whatever," she said. "He was on the downside of the drugs and stuff like that."

More:Contact

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