‘I had to give up things I loved’: Sir Cliff Richard, 82, reveals the secrets of his longevity as he releases Christmas album after 65 years in the business
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He’s still delighting his legions of fans as he continues to release music at the age of 82.
And Cliff Richards has spoken about the secrets of his longevity as he releases a new Christmas album, Christmas With Cliff, after 65 years in the business.
While on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky on Monday, Sir Cliff said: The record company requested a Christmas album. “And I thought, ‘well, I haven’t done one for years.” I didn’t realise it was nearly 20 years ago.
‘I had to give up things I loved’: Sir Cliff Richard, 82, has revealed the secrets of his longevity as he releases his latest Christmas album after 65 years in the business
‘Next year is going to be my 65th year.’
Sir Cliff credits his diet with a certain regime of eating a special diet and says he deprives himself of the things he loves to stay in shape.
Clarifying that ‘”it’s not really a diet’, Sir Cliff said: ‘I just eat quite well these days, but I only eat what I’m supposed to eat.’
He said: ‘I have to give up certain things that I loved before, but there are so many vegetables and different things I can eat, that I do.’
The latest comes after Cliff’s disappointed fans accused him of mining during a festive performance during an episode of This Morning earlier this month.
What a man! Sir Cliff credits his diet with a certain regime of eating a special diet and says he deprives himself of the things he loves to stay in shape, (pictures in the 60s)
He made sure to plug his latest album, as well as his upcoming Blue Sapphire Tour, which commences next November, while chatting with Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
But it was when he took to the microphone to sing his latest track, Heart Of Christmas, that he left viewers scratching their heads.
One wrote: ‘Cliff is he miming #ThisMorning,’ with another adding, ‘Lip syncing on @thismorning!!! Cmon Sir Cliff thought you were better than that!!! #ThisMorning.’
A third penned, ‘Cliff is c**p at miming. #ThisMorning,’ while a fourth chimed in with, ‘Microphone by his waist but the Cliff Richards vocals still continue? XMAS MAGIC ? #ThisMorning @thismorning.’
‘I thought you were better than that!’ Cliff’s disappointed fans accused him of MIMING during a festive performance on This Morning earlier this month
Before the intimate gig, he told Holly and Phil of his string of shows at London’s Eventim Apollo: ‘I am only doing about eight shows I think, the days of me going on tour for six months are way behind me.
‘It is so terrifying to be on tour for lengths of time because you never know what day you are going to wake up and that [voice] is not going to work.
‘We have all known artists who retire, they make four or five comebacks.
‘And every time I hear someone making a comeback I am thinking, “They have run out of money,” so I don’t want anyone to say that about me.
‘So I thought if I stop, it means I can stop working for a couple of years and then phone my management and say how about the Albert Hall for a couple of weeks.’
Christmas With Cliff marks the legend’s first dedicated Christmas album in 19 years and will be been issued in chart eligible ‘magazine format’, for the first time in his eight decade career.
Featuring the full 13 track CD and a 20-page magazine dedicated to the album and Cliff’s love of Christmas, this unique chart eligible format brings albums back to supermarket shelves for the first time since they phased out CD’s from July 2021.
Special: Sir Cliff will appear on BBC Two and iPlayer over the festive season for Cliff at Christmas – a one-off show where he’ll perform some of his Christmas classics