Crossword Genius

Dear singer – one joining cast (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

cherished

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'dear' is the definition.
(I have seen 'Held dear' mean 'cherished' so perhaps 'dear' could also mean 'cherished')

'singer one joining cast' is the wordplay.
'singer one' becomes 'cheri' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'joining' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'cast' becomes 'shed' (shedding is a kind of casting).
'cheri'+'shed'='CHERISHED'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for cherished that I've seen before include "Greatly valued" , "Was protective" , "Precious" , "clung to" , "Held dear" .)

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