Cher has put her dresses on display ahead of a sale of all the contents of her home - valued at £600,000.

They include a sparkling net black gown worn when she performed her 'Dark Lady' hit on the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour in the 1970s and a floral beaded gown worn for a 1972 rendition of 'Say It Isn't So'.

The display is being held in Los Angeles before the star auctions a host of paintings, jewellery and furniture - including a Gothic style bed dating back to 1865 worth £16,000.

Cher explained her decision to sell most of the possessions from her home in Malibu, California. She said: "I'm beginning a new chapter in my career and have decided to rewrite my my personal environment - my home." Some of the proceeds will go to her charitable foundation.

Sotheby's official Lee Dunbar, who is managing the sale, said the singer was a key figure in pop and style. "Cher is the only artist to have top ten hits in every decade since the 1960s, an amazing achievement," he commented. "She has influenced every generation with with her immense talent and leadership in fashion and style."