close to (one's) heart
Personally important to, or loved by, one. The little girl who came to visit the elderly woman every weekend was very close to her heart. That old dog is very close to my heart. We dated for three years, but things just didn't work out. It wasn't an acrimonious break-up, though—he'll always be close to my heart.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
close to your heart
mainly BRITISH or dear to your heart
COMMON If a subject is close to your heart or dear to your heart, it is very important to you and you care a lot about it. Note: The heart is traditionally regarded as the centre of the emotions. For presenter Manjeet K. Sandhu the position of Asian women in society is an issue very close to her heart. It's a project that is dear to my heart. Note: In American English, you can also say that a subject is near and dear to your heart. She has impressed Senators with her knowledge of subjects near and dear to their hearts.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012