WITHOUT BLIND DATE LEGEND I stay close to Mum by sleeping in room where she died
Barbados and earlier this year sold her main home in Denham, Bucks.
While clearing out Cilla’s belongings, Robert found lots of unreleased recordings and footage of his mum performing – some captured by Bobby at the height of her 1960s fame.
Robert, who was Cilla’s manager, spent a tearful seven hours listening to the unheard tapes.
He said: “It was a poignant moment, standing in the kitchen, knowing we were selling the family home we’ve had since 1970. There were tons of tapes because they never threw away anything.
“I picked out an orange one and put it in the cassette player. It was her talking in concert. She said, ‘I’m going to sing Liverpool Lullaby.’ This was a song she used to sing to me, Jack and Ben. It was incredibly emotional. I got a bit choked, but I felt like it was meant to be.”
Robert also revealed how after Cilla’s death he drew comfort from the massive outpouring of love from her fans, who he still meets at her Liverpool grave. He went on: “When I visit the grave, it’s a moment of reflection. “There are always flowers and notes from fans and they become part of that reflection. It never fails to surprise me. “I thought by now it would have possibly quietened down. It’s incredibly moving people still feel the need to pay their respects.” Cilla won a place in the nation’s heart first as a chart-topper with hits such as Step Inside Love – then as much-loved host of Blind Date, always wishing contestants a “lorra, lorra luck”. Robert said he would have loved to chat to Cilla about current TV dating show Love Island. He said: “She’d probably have been shocked, but would have also found it funny.” He also wishes he could hear her hooting with laughter with best pal Paul O’grady, 63. Robert continued: “Every now and again Paul and I have a long natter. He’s a really lovely guy. They were great friends and I’m forever grateful she had someone like that in her life after Dad died. She was bereft and quite vulnerable, because Dad always took care of her and it was the two of them against the world.
“Thankfully Paul was there to look after her. She was still in love with my dad and never really got over it, but she was still able to have good times and she and Paul were really funny together.”
Thousands of fans saluted Cilla at her funeral in Liverpool. Last year a statue of her was unveiled at the city’s Cavern Club, where Cilla sang in the 1960s.
Now Robert has thrown himself into immortalising his mum on stage.
Cilla: The Musical, a touring stage version of the TV drama that starred Sheridan Smith, has won rave reviews and hits the road again on August 21.
Cilla read the first draft of the script and gave the show the green light.
Robert said: “The spirit of my mum and dad – the energy they had together – lives on in the show. That makes me feel enormously proud and happy. It’s great.” Cilla’s family won’t get together to mark her anniversary this week. They prefer to toast her May 27 birthday with her favourite tipple – champagne – and a lorra, lorra laughs.
Robert said: “Mum approached a lot of things with laughter, even in darker times. She was funny even when she didn’t intend to be.
“So I try to be positive. Did she go too soon? Probably. But did she have the quality of life she wanted?
“Yes, she had it in bucketloads. And I know Mum and Dad are together. That’s incredibly comforting.”
Cilla: The Musical is on tour from August 21. Details at cillathemusical.com. A series of deluxe CD re-releases of her albums are on the Cherry Red Records label. See cillablack. com.