UK pop star Sir Cliff Richard has revealed that he has been successfully treated for prostate cancer over the past year.

The illness was revealed as part of a health check-up as the 85-year-old was about to embark on an international tour, he told ITV television on Monday.

“They found I had prostate cancer, but the good fortune was that it was not very old … and has not metastasised. Nothing had moved into bones or anything like that,” he told the channel’s breakfast program, adding that the cancer had “gone at the moment”.

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He urged people “to get there, get tested, get checked”, calling for a national testing program to be launched for men.

Once considered Britain’s answer to Elvis Presley, the ever-youthful singer was one of the UK’s first home-grown pop stars — even before the Beatles — and has won a huge following at home and abroad over his six-decade career.

His Can’t Stop Me Now Tour 2025 featured 18 concerts in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

Born Harry Rodger Webb, he adopted the stage name Cliff Richard in 1958, and with his backing band, The Shadows, was signed by EMI to their Columbia label.

His first single, Move It, became an instant success, reaching number two on the British charts.

The following years saw a string of chart toppers, including Living Doll in 1959. 

He also found success as an actor, with parts in Serious Charge and Expresso Bongo, both released that year.

The films The Young Ones (1962) and Summer Holiday (1963) were also massive hits for Sir Cliff in Britain and overseas.

Sir Cliff’s announcement came just days after King Charles III revealed that his own treatment for an undisclosed cancer would be reduced in the new year.

The monarch also urged Britons to take advantage of UK screening programs.

“Early detection is the key that can transform treatment journeys, giving invaluable time to medical teams — and, to their patients, the precious gift of hope,” the king said in a televised national address.

AFP/AP