'I DIDN'T THINK I'D MAKE IT TO 50!'

Congratulations and celebrations are certainly in order for Sir Cliff Richard because the Peter Pan of Pop turned 80 this month. But far from hanging up his mic for good, the eternally youthful star is releasing an album – his 46th, no less.

- SIR CLIFF RICHARD 

“Looking back, I remember thinking that I wouldn’t make it to 50. And here I am at 80,” he says. “And what’s even better than that is I have a new album!”

Cliff has also written a book called The Dreamer: An Autobiography, which will be released this week.

Born Harry Rodger Webb, in Lucknow – then part of British India – Cliff began his career with The Shadows in the late 1950s. Since his breakthrough, his boyish good looks have earned him a loyal army of female fans and he’s now released a staggering 42 calendars. But despite being linked to numerous women, including Olivia Newton-John, and dating the former tennis player Sue Barker in the 1980s, Cliff remained a confirmed bachelor. “I’ve been in love,” he’s said. “But marriage is a big commitment and being an artist consumes a great deal of time.”