Sir Cliff Richard says he refuses to know the name of his sexual assault accuser.
The singer was accused of having had sex with a 15-year-old boy at a rally in Sheffield in 1985 back in 2014, whilst four men also accused him of sexual offences, which they alleged took place between 1958 and 1983. The allegations were put to the Crown Prosecution Service but eventually were dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Cliff was never arrested or charged in the investigation and has always denied the claims. He spoke about the ordeal he experienced on the Channel 4 documentary, The Accused: National Treasures On Trial.
Speaking in the documentary, Cliff explained the toll it had taken on him, adding: "How could someone do this? I am feeling hate, a violent hate towards [the accuser]. What would I do with him if I ever saw him?’
"My accuser is totally unknown. I don't even know his name. They tried to tell me and I said, 'Please, I’m living a life now because he’s not real to me, I don’t have anyone to hate.' It is the idea that people can do this to another innocent human being."
He also referenced the health battles he had experienced as a result of it all.
Speaking in the emotional interview, Sir Cliff said: "I came out in shingles all over my head. Fortunately, a local doctor in Portugal diagnosed it. After about the third visit, he said it's coming down your forehead, you don't want to get it in your eyes because it can blind you. I said, 'How do you get shingles?' He just looked at me, gave a little tiny smile and said, 'stress.'"
Cliff explained how his friends rallied around him after what happened.
"You cannot stop thinking about it. Friends came (to Portugal) to visit and that was great, we laughed together, we played tennis together and then you go to bed. And then it all crowds back at you, how could someone do this? I am feeling hate, a violent hate towards him, what I'd do with him if I ever saw him, and I thought I can't live like this," he added.
"I seem to remember one headline that really bothered me and it just simply said 'Sir Cliff molests underage boy'. Not allegedly. It's a lie. I didn't do that to a young boy ... I prayed every night. I said he knows it's not true, I know it's not true and God knows it's not true."
Cliff won a privacy case against the BBC over its coverage of a South Yorkshire Police raid on his home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, in August 2014. He thought twice about taking legal action against the corporation but felt he had no choice.
