Sir Cliff Richard Makes Emotional Plea to King Charles After His Cancer Update
Sir Cliff Richard agreed with the King's take on the illness and highlighted how his cancer is now 'gone,' thanks to the early diagnosis.
There is nothing more valuable than one's health, and the past few years have served as living proof of that for the royal family. First, King Charles was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer, followed by Princess Kate’s own diagnosis. When Prince William appeared on The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy, he spoke candidly about how the back-to-back diagnoses were incredibly difficult for the family. Yet, by God’s grace and with the help of modern medical advancements, they have been navigating their way through the turmoil.
Recently, Charles shared a happy update that he will be reducing his treatment next year, and emphasized how essential it is for people to undergo regular health screenings. He stressed that early detection can indeed save lives. Now, Sir Cliff Richard has echoed the same. The legendary British singer and actor has also been open about his battle with prostate cancer. The 85-year-old previously revealed to ITV that his cancer was detected at an early stage and, fortunately, had not spread. He learned of his diagnosis while he was on tour, following a routine medical check-up. “I was going to Australia and to New Zealand, and the promoter said, ‘Well, we need your insurance, so you need to be checked up for something.’ They found that I had… prostate cancer,” he recounted.
Charles, meanwhile, recently addressed the nation through Channel 4's new broadcast, Stand Up To Cancer, where he new of his improving health. Talking to The Independent, Richard agreed with the King's perspective and highlighted how his cancer is now 'gone,' thanks to the early diagnosis.
“I don’t know whether it’s going to come back. We can’t tell those sorts of things, but we need to, absolutely, I’m convinced, get there, get tested, get checked," he added. Talking to host Dermot Murnaghan, The Young Ones actor also shared how he would love to work with the King to raise awareness on cancer and the advantages of regular check-ups. "I’ve been involved with many charities over the years, and if the King is happy to front it for us, I’m sure loads of people, I certainly would join him…" he said.
“If the King is listening, I think most of us would say ‘yeah – we’re available,’” he added. Richard also called for broader screening facilities across the country, as the UK National Screening Committee announced draft recommendations for a targeted prostate cancer screening programme. “We all deserve to have the same ability to have a test and then start treatments really early. It seems to me – I’ve only been for one year now in touch with cancer, but every time I’ve talked with anybody, this has come up, and so I think our government must listen to us," he explained.
If the UK National Screening Committee's announcement draft gets implemented, the programme would invite men aged 45 to 61 with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation to undergo biennial screening.
