Cliff Richard's rocky love life with famous girlfriend and 'ruthless' break-up

Whilst he may croon about matters of love and heartbreak, Sir Cliff Richard's romantic life continues to be shrouded in mystery. The star, who is set to turn 85 today, has never married, having previously stated that his commitment to his musical career simply consumed too much time.

He said that because of his dedication to his career, he wouldn't, in his opinion, have been suitable for a successful marriage. During a conversation with BBC News back in 2003, the music icon stated: "I've been in love... but marriage is a big commitment, and being an artist consumes a great deal of time." However, there have been several 'near misses' throughout the years for Sir Cliff, from the dancer whose heart he 'callously' shattered, to the celebrity girlfriend who grew weary of him 'going on' about their romance decades afterwards. Sir Cliff's most well-known romance was with tennis champion and television presenter Sue Barker, whom he courted briefly during the 1980s. The duo initially met at a tennis competition in 1981 and rapidly connected over their mutual passion for the sport, alongside their Christian beliefs.

Despite having much in common, Sue harboured reservations about the 16-year age gap between them - Sir Cliff was 41 whilst she was merely 25. The sporting personality was also uncomfortable with the fierce media attention surrounding their romance, which is believed to have lasted under a year. The romance eventually fizzled out between the pair and, according to Sue, Cliff ultimately enlisted one of his mates to end things on his behalf.

They momentarily rekindled their connection after Cliff reached out unexpectedly to confess he was missing her, but Sue swiftly recognised they functioned better as mates. Sir Cliff has addressed his relationship with Sue, now 68, on numerous occasions, once revealing that he had considered proposing but felt he "didn't love her enough".

In a 2008 interview with the Mail Online, Sir Cliff declared: "I seriously contemplated asking her to marry me, but in the end, I realised that I didn't love her quite enough to commit the rest of my life to her. There were no broken hearts."

Whilst the duo maintain their friendship today, Sue, who is now wed to landscape gardener Lance Tankard, has previously voiced her irritation about Sir Cliff persistently "banging on" about a romance that she viewed as more of a friendship. In her 2022 memoir Calling the Shots, Sue, who believes Cliff has inflated the importance of their time together, penned: "I begged Cliff to have some respect for my marriage and to stop mentioning me. It would have been so easy for him to say to any inquiring journalist: 'Sue is happily married to Lance now, let's leave it'.

"Twenty years on, I'd still be reading comments from him such as, 'I didn't love her quite enough to marry her', and I'd think: 'He can't be talking about me, surely?' It never got to that level."

She added: "If someone had told me that my relationship with Cliff would last a few months but I'd still be hearing about it 40 years later, I wouldn't have gone near him. Frankly, it looks silly now that he's still talking about a relationship that was never really more than a friendship."

Sir Cliff had also previously been romantically linked with dancer Jackie Irving, with the duo reportedly being "practically inseparable" during one memorable summer in Blackpool in the 1960s. Reflecting on their bygone seaside romance in his 2020 memoir Cliff Richard: The Dreamer, Sir Cliff revealed: "We hung out all of the time at the shows and in our spare time. Jackie was such a good laugh and, of course, a great person to go dancing with!"

The Mistletoe and Wine crooner even contemplated proposing to the "stunningly beautiful" 19-year-old Jackie, but swiftly recognised that an engagement wouldn't align with his celebrity aspirations.

Speaking on Piers Morgan's Life Stories in 2020, Sir Cliff disclosed: "In the case of Jackie Irving, I went to my manager and said, 'If I got married, would I survive my fans?' He said, 'You might lose 25 to 30 per cent of your fans'. I was like, 'You're kidding! I'd lose one-third?' I broke up with Jackie."

Piers, taken aback, exclaimed, "Seriously?", to which Sir Cliff responded, "I can't make you understand."

Piers retorted: "No, I'm understanding, I'm just seeing a ruthless... even when you thought you were in love with a woman."

Despite Cliff's assertion that he "did kiss her goodbye", Piers remained sceptical, countering: "Yet the moment you're told by your manager it might cost you a quarter of a third of your fans and success - bang, done! Not even a second thought! It's quite ruthless."

Defending himself, Sir Cliff fired back: "It just means I wasn't in love enough with her. But just because you can't understand it doesn't make me ruthless."