Kelly Clarkson couldn’t contain her inner fangirl last night.
The “Walk Away” singer-songwriter received the surprise of her life when she met the one and only Cher at the 41st Annual Kennedy Center Honors ceremony in Washington, D.C., this Sunday (December 2). It all went down as Clarkson was giving an interview with Entertainment Tonight on the event’s red carpet, unbeknownst to the fact that she was standing in the presence of the living legend herself.
"Hi! I'm Kelly Clarkson! Nice to meet you!" she gushed as Cher approached her. "I have never met you, I've been talking about you this whole time going, 'She's right behind me!!'"
"I'm a big fan, obviously everyone here is, I'm gonna stop talking. OK, yeah, I get very nervous,” Clarkson added. The “Believe” star reciprocated Clarkson’s excitement, saying, “I’m so happy to meet you!”
Cher was among last night’s honorees at the annual celebration, where the icon received a live tribute from singers Adam Lambert and Cyndi Lauper as well as Whoopi Goldberg.
"I'm so proud of y'all tonight," Clarkson continued, adding, "I'm here singing for Reba, but I was so jealous! I was like, 'Can I sing for Cher too?'"
The “Piece by Piece” performer, who paid homage to Reba McEntire with a speech, later shared an image with the legendary songbird on social media, writing, “I met Cher!!! My life is better than everyone else’s today!”
Watch these moments and more when The Kennedy Center Honors air December 26 on CBS.
Photo: Getty Images