LOSS OF VAL REUNITES EXES CHER & CRUISE

Tom's secret calls spark old flame

- 

ODD couple Cher and Tom Cruise have reconnected — over the loss of their mutual friend Val Kilmer.

“For Tom, Val was a trusted friend and colleague and someone he respected wholeheartedly,” reveals an insider. “For Cher, Val was the boyfriend who broke her heart, and she always carried a torch for him.”

Sources say the willowy diva and height-challenged action star, who dated each other in the 1980s, were rocked by Val’s shocking April 1 death and have been burning up the phone lines trying to console each other.

“They had both been in close communication with Val throughout his battle with throat cancer, and his death has brought them closer together than ever,” says the insider.