Music with Eddie Rowley

IT’S been a traumatic few years for Cliff Richard since historical child sex assault claims were made against the star and a police raid on his home was filmed by the BBC.

After being cleared of the allegations and winning his case against the BBC for invasion of privacy, the pop legend has just announced a tour celebrating his phenomenal 60 years in show business.

Looking back on the allegations and the police investigation, Cliff ( above) says at one point he thought he was experiencing a heart attack because of the strain of the probe. He reveals: “I lay on the floor weeping, thinking, ‘how am I going to climb out of this hole?’ ”

Although the police later apologised, Cliff insists: “The apology from the police is not enough. It’s never going to get rid of what I’ve been through.” The iconic entertainer was supported by showbiz friends, including Daniel O’Donnell and Gloria Hunniford, throughout his ordeal.

His passion for singing, performing and entertaining has also helped Cliff to get his life back on track, and at the age of almost 78 he’s hitting the road for a 60th anniversary tour that includes Killarney, Dublin and Belfast.

To sustain any career for 60 years is incredible — to do it in the world of pop music is a rare achievement. Cliff has been voted Britain’s Ultimate Pop Star with a phenomenal track record that includes 103 album releases, 123 hit singles and the equivalent of 20 years spent in the UK charts.

He’s also the only British pop artist to have number one hits in every decade from the 50s to the end of the 20th century.

• Tickets are now on sale for Cliff Richard’s 58-18 = 60th Tour at Killarney’s INEC (Sept 27), Dublin’s 3Arena (Sept 29) and Belfast’s SSE Arena (Sept 30).