For his 75th birthday, Cliff Richard is to give a concert tour in the UK beginning in September.
The singer has added an extra date at the Royal Albert Hall in October with concerts in Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield already sold out.
Plans for the concerts were well underway before the South Yorkshire Police raided his Berkshire apartment in August while he was at his property in the Algarve. The force was investigating an accusation of sexual assault on a teenager which was alleged to have taken place in 1985.
Despite the intervening six months, Sir Cliff has never been charged. He strongly denies the allegation. He is reported to be optimistic that his name will be cleared well before the concerts are scheduled.
Sir Cliff has not commented recently, but two statements have been made since the August raid which deny any wrongdoing and thank fans for their continued support.
On Facebook last September his second statement said: “Hi everyone, this is just a brief message to thank all of you who have shown support, including those in the press.
“I want to let you know that I’m doing ok and it goes without saying that I fully intend to clear my name.
“Just to be absolutely clear, the allegation is completely false and I will continue to cooperate with the police should they wish to speak to me again.
“Once again... many thanks!”
Comments
How absolutely wonderful