Cher thanked luck for her success as she was heralded as an icon at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday.

The singer, who turned 71 the day before, was handed the icon award by Gwen Stefani at the Las Vegas award ceremony.

Cher Billboard Music Award Gwen Stefani
Cher was handed the award by Gwen Stefani (Chris Pizzello/AP)

Cher, who has had a career lasting more than five decades, collected the award after treating the audience at the T-Mobile Arena to performances of Believe and Turn Back Time.

Accepting the award, she said: “I want to thank my mum because when I was really young my mum said you’re not going to be the smartest, you’re not going to be the prettiest, you’re not going to be the most talented but you’re going to be special.

“And then when I met (husband) Sonny, he said the same thing. And there was really nothing about me that led anyone to believe that I was going to be special.

“So I’ve had so much help, I’ve had the greatest people to work with. I had an experience with Phil Spector, I worked for one year for 25 dollars. It taught me so much.

“I think luck has so much to do with my success. I think it was mostly luck and a little bit of something thrown in.”

She performed Believe in a revealing outfit of silver tassels.

After a quick costume change, in which she swapped her silver wig for a black one and donned a leather jacket, she returned to the stage for Turn Back Time.