UK pop legend Cliff Richard says his prostate cancer was caught early and successfully treated, urging men to get tested
LONDON: UK pop star Cliff Richard revealed Monday that he has been treated for prostate cancer over the past year, but said the disease has been successfully treated.
The illness was revealed as part of a health check-up as the 85-year-old Richard was about to embark on an international tour, he told ITV television.
“They found I had prostate cancer, but the good fortune was that it was not very old… and has not metastasised.
Nothing had moved into bones or anything like that,” he told the channel’s breakfast programme, adding the cancer has “gone at the moment”.
He urged people “to get there, get tested, get checked”, calling for a national testing programme to be launched for men.
Once considered Britain’s answer to Elvis Presley, the ever-youthful Richard was one of the UK’s first home-grown pop stars even before the Beatles and won a huge following at home and abroad over his six-decade career.
His “Can’t Stop Me Now Tour 2025” took in 18 concerts in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
Born Harry Rodger Webb, he adopted the stage name Cliff Richard in 1958, and with his backing band, The Shadows, was signed by EMI to their Columbia label.
His first single, “Move It”, became an instant success, reaching number two in the British charts.
The following years saw a string of chart toppers, including “Living Doll” in 1959. He also found success as an actor, with parts in “Serious Charge” and “Expresso Bongo”, both released that year.
The films “The Young Ones” (1962) and “Summer Holiday” (1963) were also massive hits for Richard in Britain and overseas.
Richard’s announcement came just days after the UK head of state, King Charles III, revealed that his own treatment for an undisclosed cancer will be reduced in the new year.
The monarch also urged Britons to take advantage of UK screening programmes.
“Early detection is the key that can transform treatment journeys, giving invaluable time to medical teams and, to their patients, the precious gift of hope,” the king said in a televised national address. – AFP
