We examine the decay of the 3.03 MeV state of $^8$Be evaporated from an excited projectile-like fragment following a peripheral heavy-ion collision. The relative energy of the daughter $alpha$ particles exhibits a dependence on the decay angle of the $^8$Be$^*$, indicative of a tidal effect. Comparison of the measured tidal effect with a purely Coulomb model suggests the influence of a measurable nuclear proximity interaction.
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