AceShowbiz - Cher claims her romance with Alexander "A.E." Edwards took her "completely by surprise." The "Believe" hitmaker, 77, was not searching for love when the 37-year-old music executive came into her life.

"It took me completely by surprise. I mean, it was ridiculous. I wasn't looking for it at all. It just happened," she told Parade magazine.

And she was blown away when her partner presented her with a diamond ring last Christmas. She said, "Christmas morning, he gave me a bag and it had these beautiful handmade books and a beautiful pen - just amazing! And then he went, 'Oh, wait, I forgot this one.' And I opened it up and there was the most amazing diamond ring I've ever seen."

Cher recently admitted she has a "great" time with A.E. She gushed to Extra, "I hate to talk about how happy I am, but no, we have a great time together. We can talk music. We can talk about everything. He's a got a great sense of humour, he's got the cutest son in the world, ever… We just get each other."

However, the "Turn Back Time" hitmaker admitted their 40-year age gap is sometimes highlighted in their discussions. She said, "Sometimes I'm talking to him and he has no idea who I'm talking about. The other day, I said, 'Do you know who, I don't know, [1940s Hollywood star] Clark Gable, [is]?' Somebody said, 'Yes, of course,' but most of my references… He'll look at me and go, 'I wasn't born yet.' "