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Rummaging around in a box of picture editions of the Derby Evening Telegraph from the 1960s, I came across an interview with Cliff Richard in which the singer revealed all – well not quite, although he was a little more forthcoming about his private life than usual.

England’s answer to Elvis was in Derby for a “one- night stand” in February 1961 when he agreed to answer some “intimate questions” from the Telegraph’s reporters of the day.

The front page of the Derby Evening Telegraph reporting Cliff's visit to Derby and his thoughts on marriage

“Do you lead a full social life?” the pop star was asked as he sat on the make-up table of his dressing room at the Gaumont. “No, my work takes up too much time. My career means everything to me,” he replied. Then, straight to the point, the question on every girl’s lips: “What about romance?” and the answer that would deflate a million pumped up teenage hearts: “My love life is strictly a closed book. Girl friends are taboo. It is a case of many fans getting emotionally involved. They live with a dream that they might be the girl who will date Elvis or Cliff or Adam.

“If I went ‘steady’ or got married they would feel that they had been let down. I suppose it has something to do with the fascination of the unattainable. I don’t intend to consider marriage before I am 25. I am 20 now and I think 27 or 28 will be early enough.”

As we now know, Cliff has never let his fans down, remaining resolutely single, despite the legions of admiring women who have heaped their affections on him over the years. When he appeared at the Gaumont the young girls in the audience threw flowers at him on stage, while others waited at the stage door to hand him a bouquet.

• Were you one of the adoring legions that flocked to see Cliff Richard when he performed in Derby that winter? If so, you can share your memories here. Just click the edit link at the top of this article to add your recollections.

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County:  Derbyshire

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