Cliff Richard opens up on the 'lowest moment' of his life on The Jonathan Ross Show - video
16 November 2018, 12:44 | Updated: 16 November 2018, 12:50
Sir Cliff Richard has spoken in depth about the difficult few years fighting allegations against him.
The pop legend opened up about his ordeal following the investigation into him and the BBC controversy in 2014, when appearing on The Jonathan Ross Show.
Speaking about the allegations and the BBC filming a raid on his home, Sir Cliff said: “I’ve had four terrible years and it was horrific. My best quote is that I can say that I would never wish that on my worst enemy.
"It was tumultuous, horrific, emotionally draining, traumatic. It felt like I was in thick mud, I can’t describe it any better. A hole, and I didn’t know how to get out. I didn’t know what to do. Thank God for friends and thank God for God.”
On how he found out that police were at his house, he said: “It was very intrusive and it’s hard to explain to people what it feels like. I only went back to that apartment once, to collect my clothes. It was worse than being burgled.
"In the end it was just heartbreaking for me that anyone would even think it possible for that accusation to be true. There was no substance to it and that’s what makes it so ugly for me. What the BBC did, in a way I feel - and I think it was judged at - it was unlawful.
"The only thing that anybody knew, and I knew, was that there had been an accusation. There had been no investigation yet. It was very unfair.”
He continued: “I can understand someone saying, ‘Well we didn’t know whether he was guilty or not.’ Well if you don’t know, you shouldn’t say anything. If you knew I was guilty then of course say something.”
On his lowest point during the situation, he said: “That night I was in the kitchen of my house, the press were on three different gateways and that was the lowest moment of my life.
"I have to say, it does sound dramatic and if they do make a movie, I’ll tell them what happened. I suddenly found that I couldn’t stand up and I fell on to the floor and I was weeping and again the first thought was that I was in this hole and how was I going to get out of this?
"Anybody could say anything about anybody and you never know until it’s passed in court whether they are guilty or not. So that was the lowest moment and fortunately I had a couple of friends staying with me and one of them walked into the kitchen and he got me up and said, ‘Look you didn’t do this. You can get through this.’ But that moment there is what I’ll remember as being the lowest part.”
Sir Cliff releases his new album next Friday (November 23), and it will be his first album of new material in 14 years. The Jonathan Ross Show airs on Saturday night at 9.40pm on ITV.
