Cher’s friends reportedly want her on-off toyboy lover “gone”.

The 77-year-old is said to have shocked her pals after she was photographed holding hands with her 37-year-old music executive ex-boyfriend Alexander ‘AE’ Edwards on Friday (15.09.23) as they went for dinner in Beverly Hills, California.

They reportedly split in April and hadn’t been seen together in months, but looked cosy as they left Funke restaurant with Colombian singer J Balvin and his girlfriend, Valentina Ferrer, with the couple also joined by rapper Tyga.

Sources told RadarOnline.com: “Cher’s friends were shocked by the singer’s being out with AE.

“(Her friends) are no fans of AE and have real concerns about where his heart is at in all of this.

“They fear Cher will get hurt in the end and don’t want her to deal with nonsense at her age.

“Everyone thinks she should get rid of him quickly. They want him gone.”

Sources said when it was reported in May the couple had split that the singer’s friends were “ecstatic” she had broken up with him.

One pointed out: “AE wasn’t even born when Sonny and Cher were topping the charts in the ‘60s”.

Another insider added at the time: “It’s pretty clear to her now AE was probably just using her all along to raise his profile.”

And other source said issues started when Cher started recording new tracks with the music executive.

AE was seen escorting Cher to their waiting black SUV on Friday, and opened the door for her.

When asked by photographers whether he and the singer were back together he simply smiled.

Once they were both inside the vehicle they were snapped laughing and sharing an intimate conversation in the back seat with their heads close together.

The pair made their red carpet debut as a couple at the Versace fall 2023 fashion show in March, after first being romantically linked in November 2022 after they were seen holding hands in Los Angeles.

Cher hit back at critics on Twitter, now named X, when the pair were mocked for their 40-year age gap.

She posted: “haven’t You Got Anything Else 2 Do?! Let Me Explain…I DONT GIVE A (flying) FK WHAT ANYONE THINKS.”

Cher and AE sparked engagement speculation in December when the Grammy winner flaunted a massive diamond ring estimated to be worth $250,000.

A source later told TMZ they weren’t engaged and only wanted to “play into” the rumours they were set to marry.