From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishclose/dear to somebody’s heartclose/dear to somebody’s heartLIKE somebody OR somethingLIKE/SIMILARvery important to someone The president liked to go to Williamsburg, a place close to his heart. Money is dear to Kathleen’s heart. → heart
Examples from the Corpus
close/dear to somebody’s heart• It is one that lies close to the heart of any study of the interaction of religion and society.• His latest challenge is on a smaller scale, but it's much closer to his heart.• I hold you near, close to my heart, There's so much for me to give, Where to begin?• One subject is obviously dear to Schofield's heart - the captaincy of Great Britain and Leeds.• The President would go to Williamsburg, Virginia, a place close to his heart.• Other songs: Include Stainsby Girls, inspired by a Middlesbrough school close to his heart.• The electrification of the network, a topic close to Lenin's heart, was discussed in the pages of Gudok. 