Maybe it’s because she is pregnant and full of hormones swirling around but The One Show host Alex Jones stunned viewers when she asked Cliff Richard with a question so awkward, you could almost hear the nation utter in disbelief “Oh no she didn’t”!
The crinkly old pop star was appearing on the BBC evening show to promote his 102nd album Just Fabulous Rock n Roll even though he is suing the BBC for televising a raid on his home during an investigation over allegations of historical sexual assault, for which he was subsequently cleared.
However, it would seem for the sake of shifting a few records, Cliff was only to happy to make an appearance on the BBC’s most popular show.
But that didn’t stop the normally sweet-as-pie presenter Alex Jones getting all Paxman on Cliff’s butt and asking him why he had chosen to appear on the show during such a time.
“Now, this is a bit awkward!” she challenged. “We’ve never had a guest on the show who is trying to sue the BBC.
“Sometimes they’ve tried to sue before and sometimes after but never like this!
“A lot of people must be thinking ‘Why are you sitting here on the sofa?’ But what is your relationship with the BBC like?”
Cliff took the question gallantly and replied: “The relationship is just fine”, explaining that his love of radio shows such as The Archers and the Today programme was a the reason he was happy to maintain a healthy relationship with the BBC.
“The BBC to me is The One Show and the radio shows I listen to. I listen to them all over the world,” he explained.
He also opened up about what the past two years have been like fro him while he was at the centre of an investigation by South Yorkshire Police after four men accused him of assault dating between 1958 and 1983.
He was never arrested or charged and his case was discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service in June on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
In October Sir Cliff launched legal action against the BBC and South Yorkshire Police over allegations that law enforcement sources tipped off the news team to the raid taking place at his home.
“The accusations were so absurd – I didn’t think it would take this amount of time,” he said.
“You feel like you’re in a hole.
“No matter how much you’re loved by your fans, friends or family, when you go to bed at night, you’re still no your own. You just think ‘How can I escape this emotional trauma?’
He also admitted that the anger against the accusations passed quickly because there was no point in maintaining those negative feeling.
However he did think that he would never shake off the stigma of the accusations because people would think there was “no smoke without fire” and he constantly asked himself “how can I go back to the way I was?”
“I can’t explain to you how terrible those two years were – but it’s over now!” he confessed.