Sir Cliff Richard announced in December 2025 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, revealing the news during an appearance on Good Morning Britain. The 85-year-old singer said the cancer was discovered during a routine medical assessment, required for insurance before an international tour. Because it was caught at an early stage, the cancer had not spread, and he was able to begin treatment immediately.
Call for national screening
The Summer Holiday singer used the interview to highlight gaps in men's healthcare, criticising the absence of a national prostate cancer screening programme. He urged men not to feel embarrassed about discussing their health and called on the government to reconsider its position.
“We need to start treating men as human beings who are just as vulnerable to this disease,” he said. “If there’s a way to test people early and save lives, I don’t understand why it isn’t available to everyone.”
Previous health struggles
This was not the first time Sir Cliff's health had come under strain. In 2014, his life was turned upside down when he was accused of sexual assault. He was never arrested, charged, or found guilty of any offense, and the case was dropped entirely in 2016. However, the two-year ordeal caused the veteran performer immense stress and anxiety, leading to a deterioration in his health.
Within six months of the allegation, Sir Cliff developed severe shingles all over his head and face. He recalled: “It looked so horrible I thought, 'I can’t believe it is happening'.”
Speaking about the ordeal on Piers Morgan's Life Stories in 2020, Sir Cliff said: “I had been through a really, really bad time of my life. I went through a terrible time. Within four months of my accuser setting fire to my life, I had a pimple on my head and I was in Portugal so I called a friendly doctor I know and said, ‘Can you come and see me, I don’t know what’s wrong.' He came the next morning and he said, ‘You have shingles’. And I said, ‘Well how can I get shingles?’ and he said, 'Stress'.”
Due to the placement of the infection, the doctor revealed he was at risk of going completely blind. “It was so dangerous – do you see how close it got to my eyes? Had it happened on my eye, I might have gone blind,” he added.
Reflections on touring
Before he turned 85 in 2025, the legendary musician made a tragic end-of-life admission, admitting: “I might be dead next year.” Having sold more than 250 million records across a career that has spanned decades, he confessed that performing and touring has become “very wearing”.
He told Coast Radio in July: “The thing I would have to give up, probably, at some point is touring. It’s very wearing, and you never know when you wake up in the morning whether your voice is still there.” When asked if his 2025 Can’t Stop Me Now tour could be his last, he replied: “I don’t know. I might be dead next year. So I don't even think about it anymore. It’s one of those things. As I get older, maybe I'll become less able to perform, so I can't say.”
He said he “does not want to be an 85-year-old guy trying to be 18”, but insisted: “I can still move on stage and that's what I do. I've got two backing singers, two guys, and they can dance, they can act, they can sing, they can play instruments. I don't want to try and be 18 anymore. I like singing now.”
