Cliff s album of heartache POP STAR TO SING ABOUT LEGAL ORDEAL
He wants to put this behind him move on and focus on his music
CLIFF Richard is going on record about his four-year battle with the BBC by singing about it on a new album.
The LP, due to be released in time for Christmas, will include a track titled Rise Up – which sources say features lyrics inspired by the singer’s fight for justice.
Sir Cliff, 77, who this week scored a landmark legal victory when he won his privacy case against the Beeb, said: “I will be alright. I will survive. I’m not dead. I can be stronger because of this.”
A source close to the star added: “An announcement about the album will be made in September and it will be released before the end of the year.
“Sir Cliff has worked really hard on it and it will be a very personal album.
“One song focuses on what has happened to him over the past four years and how he got through it. It’s a deep, heartfelt record.”
The pop veteran – Britain’s alltime biggest-selling male artist – described in court how his life changed after police investigating historic sex abuse claims raided his home in 2014.
Although Sir Cliff was never arrested, footage of the raid in Sunningdale, Berkshire, was broadcast by the BBC.
The tennis-loving star said he could no longer even walk past Wimbledon ball-boys for fear of being accused.
He also said he was wary of standing too close to adoring fans who want to have photos taken with him.
The judge ruled the BBC had been wrong to name Sir Cliff as a suspect and awarded him £210,000.
The singer’s charity recorded a £100,000 boost after the sex abuse allegations were dropped.
Donations to the Sir Cliff Richard Charitable Trust had dwindled to less than £14,000 during the two years the was under police scrutiny. But, we can reveal, when the Crown Prosecution Service ruled there was not enough evidence, donations and legacies rocketed to more than £132,000. Sir Cliff’s trust supports projects that are aimed at helping medical research, children, the elderly, and the disabled. A source said: “It’s very sad that while he was struggling and under the scrutiny of the police his charity work suffered. “But ever since he’s been cleared – despite fighting a legal battle with the BBC – people have got behind his charity work again. “Cliff is now hoping he can get his life back on track and that his charity work can continue to do good.” After winning his privacy case on Wednesday, Sir Cliff had planned to fly back to his £5million vineyard near Albufeira in Portugal. But he had a change of heart and decided to stay on in Britain to celebrate a pal’s birthday this weekend. Last night a close friend said: “He feels as though a two-ton weight has been lifted from around his neck. To say he has suffered over the past few years is an understatement. “He’s got a new album coming out and two sell-out dates at the Royal Albert Hall. He wants to put this behind him, move on and focus entirely on his music.” But Sir Cliff’s friend Bruce Welch of the Shadows thinks the singer will be haunted by his ordeal. He said: “I don’t think it’ll ever go away. “His life is back on track – and I’m absolutely delighted. “But you can’t erase what’s gone on the last two or three years. “It’s been really sad for him.”