Sir Cliff Richard has revealed on Desert Island Discs that he “feared he would die” and that he will “never get over” the police raid that shattered his life.
The pop legend, 80, opened up about the effects of the raid, which took place six years ago.
It came after false accusations of historical sexual abuse.
What did Cliff Richard say on Desert Island Discs?
Sir Cliff appeared on the long-running BBC Radio 4 show this morning (Sunday December 20) and revealed his heartbreak over the raid.
He told host Lauren Laverne: “I couldn’t stand up and I found myself absolutely weeping like a child.
Read more: Cliff Richard on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories: Why did the BBC pay him £2m damages?
“I was never suicidal but I thought a couple of times I might die… I’m thinking, ‘I don’t want to kill myself, but this could kill me’.
“But I survived it all and that’s the main thing for me, and I’m past it now. I don’t think I’ll ever get over it, though.”
Why did police raid Sir Cliff?
The accusations and footage from the raid were broadcast around the world by the BBC in 2014.
Sir Cliff has since successfully sued the BBC for damages.
The psychological damage, as well as not forgetting the reputational damage, was indisputably immense.
At the time, his defence lawyer said at the trial: “The psychological damage, as well as not forgetting the reputational damage, was indisputably immense.”
Sir Cliff also told Lauren that the incident and surrounding publicity is “not something you can wipe from your memory”.
Described himself as an enigma
Earlier in November, the legend appeared on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories.
During the show, Sir Cliff opened up about his past girlfriends and admitted that he had never been heartbroken.
He went on to describe himself as an “enigma”.
“I love the word ‘enigma’ because it means that they don’t really understands what you’re really about,” he told Piers.
The host also went on to reveal that the episode featuring Sir Cliff attracted the highest audience in the show’s history.
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