Sir Cliff Richard has revealed he was treated for prostate cancer over the past year, saying the illness has currently cleared and renewing calls for a national screening programme for men.
The 85-year-old singer shared the news during an interview on Good Morning Britain, explaining that the cancer was discovered while he was preparing for an overseas tour. He said the diagnosis came after routine medical checks were requested for insurance purposes.
Recalling the moment, Sir Cliff said, “I was about to embark on a tour… I was going to Australia and New Zealand, and the promoter said ‘well we need your insurance, so you’ll need to be checked up for something.”
Prostate Cancer Diagnosis Discovered Before Tour
Sir Cliff said doctors found the cancer early and confirmed it had not spread. He explained, “They found I had a prostate with cancer, but the good fortune was that it was not very old. And the other thing is that it had not metastasised. It hadn’t moved into bones or anything like that.”
He added that while the cancer has currently gone, uncertainty remains, “And the cancer’s gone at the moment, I don’t know whether it’s going to come back. I mean you can’t tell with those sort of things.”
Using his experience, the singer urged men to take testing seriously, saying, “But we need to absolutely, I’m convinced, get there, get tested, get checked. ‘I think we as men… we’ve got to be seen as human beings who may die of this thing.’”
Sir Cliff Richard’s Support for Calls on National Screening Programme
The comments were made during a conversation with former Sky News presenter Dermot Murnaghan, who has been diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer. Mr Murnaghan asked whether Sir Cliff supported calls for a national screening programme, given that prostate cancer is “the most prevalent cancer amongst men”.
Backing the idea, Sir Cliff said, “We have governments to look after our country and those who live in that country. We all deserve to have the same ability to have a test and then start the treatments really early.”
He continued, “It’s only been one year now I’ve been in touch with cancer, but in point of fact, every time I’ve talked with anybody, this has come up, and so I think our government must listen to us.”
Last month, the UK National Screening Committee decided against recommending mass prostate cancer screening, stating it was “likely to cause more harm than good”. Instead, it proposed targeted screening every two years for men aged between 45 and 61 who carry specific genetic mutations, known as BRCA-1 and BRCA-2.
King Charles Highlights Importance of Early Diagnosis
Sir Cliff’s announcement follows recent comments from King Charles, who revealed he had reached a “milestone” in his own cancer treatment and would be able to reduce his schedule in the new year.
In a statement, the King said, “Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives.” He added: “Now, I have heard this message repeatedly during my visits to cancer centres across the country. I know too what a difference it has made in my own case, enabling me to continue leading a full and active life, even while undergoing treatment.”
The King continued, “Today, I am able to share with you the good news that thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to ‘doctors’ orders’, my own schedule of cancer treatment can be reduced in the new year.”
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Describing the moment as significant, he said, “This milestone is both a personal blessing and a testimony to the remarkable advances that have been made in cancer care in recent years; testimony that I hope may give encouragement to the 50% of us who will be diagnosed with the illness at some point in our lives.”
Buckingham Palace has confirmed the King’s cancer is not prostate cancer, but has not disclosed the specific type.
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