Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Cliff’s agony
I have been hurt so much I just don’t think I can ever recover
My career’s been damaged in places I won’t ever go back to CLIFF RICHARD ON HOW SEX CLAIMS HARMED HIM
“Some people will always believe there’s no smoke without fire – to which I can only reply with something someone wrote to me: ‘Haven’t they heard of smoke machines?’”
Sir Cliff has since taken legal action against the BBC and South Yorkshire Police over coverage of the raid, which had prompted claims that officers tipped off TV bosses as they were moving in on the star.
A scathing independent report later criticised the agreement between police and the BBC and said it “certainly interfered with [Sir Cliff ’s] privacy and may well have caused unnecessary distress”.
The singer is thought to be still negotiating with the BBC over a settlement. In November last year he called for a change in the law to protect those falsely accused of sexual assault. As he promoted his 102nd album, Just Fabulous Rock & Roll, he told Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans the names of those accused should not be revealed before they are charged.
He said: “You shouldn’t name the person because you might find there’s no evidence. In fact, in this case there was no evidence.
“So two years later I’m free, I’m innocent but my name was smeared everywhere and everybody knew about it.
“If I was never mentioned until I was charged, there’d be nothing to talk about.
“Yes, an accusation has to be taken seriously but it doesn’t have to be believed immediately.”
Away from the claims, Cliff ’s career continues and he remains as popular as ever.
He is expected to announce plans for celebrations next year to mark 60 years in showbusiness since his 1958 debut hit, Move It.
The anniversary celebrations are highly likely to involve his band The Shadows.
At the end of last year he said: “The fans ask if me and The Shadows are going to get back together and we have decided ‘Yes we will.’” He joked: “We are going to celebrate our 100 years together.”
In all the band – including Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch, both 75, and Brian Bennett, 76, are credited with 64 hit singles in the UK starting in 1958 when they were known as The Drifters.
At the weekend the first pictures from Sir Cliff ’s 39th calender were revealed, showing him looking remarkably toned and tanned in a short-sleeved shirt knotted at the waist.
It is sure to be a hit with fans, who have bought more than 1.5million of his calendars over four decades.