Cliff Richard has praised the support of his friends and family for getting him through his recent tough times.
The singer recently went through a legal battle with the BBC in which sued the company for invasion of privacy for raiding his home.
Speaking on Miriam O’Callaghan’s radio show, Cliff named Daniel and Majella O’Donnell and Gloria Hunniford for standing by him during the difficult time.
“Daniel and Majella were going to come and visit. They were amongst a group of people who emailed me and said, ‘Look, we think you should probably be on your own.’
“And I immediately emailed back and said: ‘No, please! I don’t want to be on my own!’ And they all came. Some of the first people were Daniel, Majella and Gloria, to come and stay with me. It was a great comfort to me, actually.”
The hitmaker built a relationship with the Irish stars through working in the same industry.
He also praised his fans for their support that helped keep him going.
“My fans, friends, my family – they never left me alone,” he said.
“I was never alone, all that period. And so therefore I survived a lot of it because of that. But there’s no doubt, when your friends stay, and they will go to bed, you go to bed, and suddenly you’re on your own.”
He also explained that he felt blessed to have a strong faith.
“Except, I never felt alone. I was always able to speak to God, pour my heart out, and I think that was very good for me.
The star added that the only way he felt he could move forward was to forgive the person who accused him.
“Because of being a Christian I heard about forgiveness, and I forgave my accuser very, very early on.
“I think, the third night, I woke up about three o’clock and for 22 months and two days I didn’t for more than average two hours, two-and-a-half hours. And I woke up that third night, and I thought: I don’t know how to do this. Because I’m beginning to hate. How could he do this to me? And I forgave him.
“The interesting thing is, he wouldn’t have known that I forgave him. And so, it really was for my benefit that I forgave him. I felt better not having that hate burning in my heart any more.”