Cliff Richard’s incredible journey from emotional teen to ‘thirst trap’

Exclusive:

Birthday boy Sir Cliff as you’ve rarely seen him. As The Saviour’s Day star turns 85, the Mirror digs deep into our exclusive photo archive – and discovers star was more daring than we ever realised…..

He is the legendary entertainer who has sold almost 300million records worldwide, landed 14 No.1s in the UK and is the only star to reach top five in the album charts in eight different decades.

He became the first British musician to be knighted back in 1995, has two Ivor Novello awards and three Brit Awards, and has been wowing fans on stage and screen since 1958.

Now as he turns 85 today, Sir Cliff Richard certainly has a lot to celebrate – starting with his latest tour, which kicks off its UK leg in Cardiff next month.

To mark the star’s big day, The Mirror has launched a new book, Cliff at 85, which shares some of the best, most candid and rarely-seen photos of the man himself – all taken by our army of photographers throughout his career.

Here in an exclusive, we bring you some of the favourite shots – charting his life from his time as the young Harry Webb, born in India to a British dad who worked on the railways, through his movie star era with Summer Holiday and his Christian preacher years to the octogenarian we know today, who led the Platinum Jubilee Parade for the beloved late Queen Elizabeth II.

Sir Cliff was just seven when his family spent weeks on a steamliner moving back to the UK. Yet it was not that journey but one night, aged 15, which would have the biggest impact on his life. He was playing Ratty in a school production of Toad of Toad Hall, and had reluctantly agreed to sing his first ever solo. He was nervous – but on opening night, he was left shocked by how much he enjoyed it.

That was the moment his passion for performing was born.

Just three years later he was playing his first gigs with The Shadows, a year after that he had his first number one with Livin’ Doll, and by 1960 he was a bonafide British superstar, causing controversy with his “too sexy” hip–shaking dance moves – just like his idol Elvis Presley.

“If people say I’m too sexy in my singing, that’s it – I can’t help it,” The Summer Holiday star once told Michael Parkinson. “I do exactly what the songs tell me inside I gotta do.”