Cher reveals she was ‘shocked’ to find out her real name after birth certificate mix-up

CHER has revealed her "shock" after discovering she had a completely different name on her birth certificate to what she had always thought.

The legendary Believe singer, 78, says she grew up thinking her legal name since birth had been Cherilyn.

But after her career hit the big time, Cher found out that Cherilyn wasn't her legal name at all.

Writing in her new book, Cher: The Memoir, Part One, the US star says she only found out when she officially changed her name to Cher in the late 1970s.

Upon digging out her birth certificate to make the switch, she discovered it said 'Cheryl' instead of 'Cherylin'.

Cher explains in her memoir that her mother, Georgia Holt, was just 19 when she had given birth, adding that the labour was long and painful.

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She says a nurse had approached the weary new mum once her daughter had been born and asked for her baby's name.

“My mother had no idea, but the woman insisted so she replied, ‘Well, Lana Turner‘s my favourite actress and her little girl’s called Cheryl. My mother’s name is Lynda, so how about Cherilyn?’” Cher wrote.

She added: "I believed Cherilyn was my name until the day years later when I decided to legally change my name to simply Cher."

The star says she was "shocked" to look at her birth certificate and find the nurse had registered her as 'Cheryl'.

When she quizzed her mother on the mix-up, Cher says Georgia replied: “I was only a teenager, and I was in a lot of pain. Give me a break.”

The If I Could Turn Back Time hitmaker changed her name to Cher in 1979.

She also chose to drop her four surnames at the same time.

Cher had Sarkisian as her birth surname, along with the surnames of her stepfather Gilbert LaPiere and ex-husbands Sonny Bono and Gregg Allman.

Speaking to Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, she said: "It's better for me than having people wonder if they should call me Mrs. Allman or Mrs. Bono or Mrs. Bono Allman or Miss Cher or whatever."

She added: "I mean, Cher is just fine. Just plain Cher."

Last month, Cher was a headline act at this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

She was joined at the event by her boyfriend, Alexander 'AE' Edwards, who is 40 years her junior.

The pair met two years ago at Paris Fashion Week before later confirming their romance by holding hands in public.

Cher and the rapper and music businessman have received criticism for their huge age gap but continue to shrug it off.

Speaking to Kelly Clarkson on her daytime chat show, Cher said: "On paper, it's kind of ridiculous.

"But in real life, we get along great. He's fabulous. And I don't give men qualities that they don't deserve."

AE has a child with model Amber Rose and, as a Universal Music Group executive, has worked with the likes of Post Malone, Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande.