SHE WAS CHER GENIUS

There were many pinch-me moments, but one of the biggest was watching Cher walk onto the set for the first time. What a goddess! Getting her on board was always a fantasy. I knew she liked Mamma Mia! because she’d been to see the stage version in London several times when it opened. The script of this film included Donna’s mother, a glamorous creature from the Studio 54 days. She was the ultimate rock chick, and the mother who never grew old – there was only one choice to play her. In my eyes, Cher is rock chick royalty – the greatest in the world. And she’s timeless.

Luckily everyone else shared my conviction. One of the heads of Universal Studios phoned her and said, ‘Mamma Mia! want you. You’re doing it!’ She agreed.

There was a great hush when she appeared on set, looking every inch the superstar. Everyone was so nervous, looking at the floor, but she immediately put us all at ease. She’s actually quite shy, but Colin Firth got her laughing with impersonations of other members of the cast. I can’t reveal who – but he is very good.

When she was singing Fernando, I got goosebumps. Everyone actually came out of their trailers to watch when she was dancing – Pierce, Meryl, everyone. We were all cheering and clapping. There was this sense of, ‘Are we really seeing this?’ Simply magical.

This photo was taken on Cher’s last day on set – which happened to be my birthday. No one dared take a selfie with her – actually, it wasn’t allowed – but she offered, and then the floodgates opened. Everyone wanted their picture with her.