Cliff Richard’s Mother Once Warned Girlfriend: ‘Don’t Get Too Fond of Him’
Sir Cliff Richard, one of Britain’s most enduring music icons, has spent more than six decades in the spotlight — but his private life has always been a subject of speculation. Now, a past revelation from one of his early romances has shed light on the influence his late mother, Dorothy Webb, had over his relationships.
In the early 1960s, Sir Cliff began dating dancer Delia Wicks after meeting her at the London Palladium, where she was performing. During one show, the young singer serenaded Wicks on stage, ending the number with “a little kiss” — a gesture that marked the beginning of their relationship. Sir Cliff would later recall sending her a postcard “from every town” while touring Scandinavia.
Despite the romantic start, the relationship did not last. Around the same time, another dancer, Jackie Irving, entered the picture. Irving, who later married singer Adam Faith, was one of only two women Sir Cliff ever seriously considered marrying. The other was former tennis star Sue Barker, who in 2014 told the Daily Mail that Sir Cliff “didn’t love me quite enough” to make a lifelong commitment.
In his 2020 autobiography Cliff Richard: The Dreamer, the singer described Wicks as “a great girl” but admitted they had to keep a low profile to avoid upsetting his devoted and sometimes possessive fans.
However, Wicks later claimed that it was Dorothy Webb who quietly intervened. She alleged that Cliff’s mother warned her not to “get too fond of him” because he had “a career ahead of him.” The subtle but firm message suggested that, in Dorothy’s eyes, romance could distract her son from the path to stardom.
Those close to Sir Cliff have often commented on the outsized role his mother played in his life. In the 2003 documentary The Real Cliff Richard, his former manager Tito Burns dismissed rumours about girlfriends altogether, saying: “I keep reading about, ‘She was the girlfriend,’ but he was not concerned with any of that. The genders don’t mean a thing to him… he’s not concerned about women, never was.”
Tony Meehan, drummer for Cliff’s original backing band The Shadows, echoed a similar sentiment, suggesting that the singer’s “very, very close relationship with his mother” made it difficult for others to get close to him.
Dorothy remained a central figure throughout Cliff’s career, supporting him from his rise as Britain’s first teen idol in the late 1950s through his transformation into one of the UK’s most successful recording artists. She lived to see him knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1995 — the first rock star to receive such an honour — and to witness him sell more than 250 million records worldwide, making him the third best-selling artist in UK chart history after The Beatles and Elvis Presley.
Sir Cliff, now 80, has long guarded his personal life, insisting that his privacy is key to his happiness and longevity in the industry. While he has spoken fondly of past relationships, he has never married, choosing instead to dedicate himself to music, charity, and close friendships.
The story of Dorothy’s protective warning to Delia Wicks offers a glimpse into the formative years of a young man whose career was, even then, beginning to soar. Whether or not her words directly influenced his decision to remain single, they reveal the depth of a mother’s belief in her son’s potential — and her determination to see him fulfill it.
For Cliff Richard, the advice may have been both a blessing and a burden. But more than half a century later, his remarkable career continues to bear out the prophecy his mother saw so clearly: her son’s path, above all else, would be defined by music.