Cliff Richard’s friends fear for his health, with reports last night that he was “refusing to eat” over historic sex crime allegations that he had thought were behind him, and has also temporarily aborted his plans for a new album.
The veteran singer had been told in June that Yorkshire Police would be making no charges against him following their investigation into assault claims. The singer had never been arrested while the investigation was on-going.
At the time, Sir Cliff made it clear he would be taking action over the stress caused to him by both the police force, and by the BBC who broadcast live the police raid on his Surrey home in 2014. However, at the time he thought his problems were over.
Then, last month, Sir Cliff was told there had been a challenge to the CPS decision not to charge by one of the alleged complainants, who made a request for review of the case permissible under the police’s victims’s rights procedure.
Now, a second person has followed suit, which a source tells the Sun has “brought Cliff to breaking point”.
The newspaper reports that he is not sleeping or eating, and is “incandescent with rage” that the investigation continues.
This real-life case is playing out, as Channel 4 prepares to debut its three-part drama ‘National Treasure’ about a fictional popular celebrity caught in a media storm, following the police knocking on his door with an historic sex abuse allegation made by a woman two decades before.
Sir Cliff has added his name to those campaigning to protect suspects’ anonymity until they are charged, but earlier this week, Robbie told HuffPostUK he was behind the decision to publicise celebrities’ names, to help protect the rights of real victims, whose lives had been ruined.
However, the ‘Cracker’ star said this week he felt very bad for Sir Cliff, and deplored the decision to broadcast the raid on his home. He told the Sunday Mirror: “It’s not for the BBC to publish the police business. But they did. Of course I feel for him. I feel for anyone who’s innocent.”
It’s been a terrible year for Sir Cliff, with the stress of these allegations, the death of his friend Cilla Black last summer, and the recent passing away of his sister Donna.
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