‘My mum Cilla’
As a recently discovered Cilla love song is set for release on Valentine’s Day we talk to her oldest son Robert Willis. In this exclusive Q and A chat, Robert talks about what it was like growing up with a famous mum and shares cherished memories from working as her manager
What was it like having such a famous mum?
Mum and Dad didn’t want us to be spoilt. So for example we always got less pocket money than our friends. They wanted to have kids that had a sense of their own purpose in so much as we couldn’t take it for granted that because our parents were well off that we were going to be well off. We had to make it for ourselves. And we had to have that basic respect for what goes into being successful in what you do.
By the time TV shows Surprise, Surprise and Blind Date kicked in they had more of a regular routine compared to when Ben (Robert’s brother) and I were a lot younger. So they were able to come home at the weekend and just be Mum and Dad. And for them that was why they were doing it – to have that ‘normal’ family life with Sunday lunch and all of that. So we had a very grounded childhood despite the fact it was a very unconventional one!
Did you have any ambitions growing up to manage your mum?
I didn’t plan to work with my parents at all! I had worked for about three years in television on shows such as The
Big Breakfast and GMTV. I was about
22 or 23 making good money as a freelance TV news journalist when Dad asked me to become Mum’s agent and in effect run the company with him. Dad and I worked really well together and did some great things! I wasn’t expecting, though, for the bulk of my career to be so fused with my mum’s. I thought it would only be for one or two years.
After Dad died everything changed. My main responsibility was for Mum – making sure she was okay and helping her through bereavement. Work became so much more important to her – as she said herself it was a lifeline. It helped to keep a close connection to my dad and gave her a focus in her life.
What was your happiest memory of working with Cilla?
We had so many great times together! One of the most touching times I recall though, was when she did the Fashion for Relief show in 2008. She had never done a catwalk thing before. Mum was getting ready to go on but she was nervous and for the first time she asked if she could hold my hand. The minute she got on stage though it was just another audience and she worked it! But it was that moment of vulnerability which you rarely saw with Mum which made it so special.
What was your greatest achievement as Cilla’s manager?
I think after my dad died (in 1999) it was ensuring that Mum was able to continue working and helping her rebuild her life. One of the projects that I am most proud of was the Cilla bio drama for ITV. My mum was wary of it at first but I pushed to do it. I worked as the exec producer very closely with the writer, Jeff Pope. It was initially to be about Mum’s whole career but the research that Jeff and I did steered us towards making it about the early years of Mum and Dad’s relationship. Sheridan Smith, who played my mum was incredible in it! Mum was very proud of the show and happy for everyone involved – and I got nominated for a BAFTA too!
What did Cilla most like about being in showbusiness?
She loved to perform and loved the wonderfully flamboyant people in showbiz, many of whom were her friends. She could acknowledge great talent and was never jealous. Not long before she died she told me she was happy with her legacy and how people viewed her.
Do you have a favourite Cilla song?
I like all the obvious ones such as You’re My World and Anyone Who Had A Heart, but beyond that, one of my favourites is a recording Mum did of, I’ve Been Wrong Before, by Randy Newman. It’s haunting in a really beautiful way. It’s a challenging song to strike all the emotional tones in it but Mum did it beautifully.
Are there any new Cilla projects planned for 2020?
Four more of Mum’s studio albums will be reissued by Cherry Red Records this year – part of their CD series celebrating her pop career. There’s also a brand new Cilla Black track called You’re Sensational being released as a remixed single for Valentine’s Day.
■ For more details about the single and CD sets visit www.cillablack.com
■ Later this year Cilla will be remembered in a one-off ITV programme featuring previously unseen film footage.