Cher says she dated Tom Cruise when he was a 'shy boy'

In this Feb. 10, 2008 file photo, Cher is seen on stage at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. [Agencies]

Cher says she dated Tom Cruise when he was just a "shy boy." The singer-actress discussed the relationship on an episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" taped Saturday in Las Vegas before a crowd of 4,000 people, according to Harpo Productions.

Winfrey plans to feature Cruise during episodes airing Friday and Monday. She told Cher that when she was at Cruise's Colorado home recently, the actor stressed that Winfrey should say hello to Cher for him.

"So how much of a date was that?" Winfrey asked, according to advance remarks released Wednesday by Harpo Productions.

"Oh, that was a long date," Cher said. "Really. I lived in his apartment."

Cher is now 61, Cruise 45.

"He was so wonderful. And I was so crazy about him," said Cher, an Oscar, Emmy and Grammy winner who has released 25 albums that have sold more than 100 million copies. "And he was so, like, different. He was a shy boy. He didn't have any money."

It was unclear from the remarks released by Harpo exactly when the relationship took place.

But in a similar interview in February to "Entertainment Tonight" Cher indicated it was after Cruise made "Risky Business," in 1983 but before "The Color of Money," in 1986. She also talked about the relationship in February to "Good Morning America."