Ten Things You Never Knew About Cliff Richard

Christmas wouldn't quite be Christmas without a serving of Sir Cliff Richard. The pop icon may not be unleashing a single for the coveted number one spot, but his name has been floating around the papers this festive season in connection with Celebrity Big Brother. Sadly, the 68-year-old's lavatorial demands means that we're unlikely to be treated to a month of uninterrupted Cliff. Thankfully DS has uncovered ten fascinating facts about the 'Living Doll' singer to satisfy your Cliff Christmas cravings.

1. Cliff was born on October 14, 1940 in Lucknow, British India. His parents named him Harry Rodger Webb.

2. Cliff's first shot at stardom came with rock 'n' roll group The Drifters, who later changed their name to The Shadows to avoid confusion with an American band of the same name.

3. Clearly a believer in his own talents, Cliff once said that his decision to shun sex and drugs made him "the most radical rock star there has ever been".

4. Cliff turned down the opportunity to be photographed with Elvis because he thought he was too fat. "They kept saying they wanted a photograph of me and Elvis and I thought, 'Hang on, I don't want to have that Elvis with me on my wall - I'd rather have the magnificent Elvis that everybody knows and loves,'" he says.

5. Cliff was the first rock star to be knighted, being honoured with the addition of 'Sir' to his name on October 25, 1995.

6. When bad weather interrupted the Wimbledon tennis tournament in 1996, Cliff led Centre Court crowd in an impromptu rendition of 'Singing In The Rain'.

7. A life-long bachelor, Cliff has been mysteriously coy about his love life, although he has been romantically linked with dancer Jackie Irving and former tennis star Sue Barker.

8. Cliff was one of the first celebrities to have his name set in the pavement at the 'Avenue of the Stars' in Covent Garden in London.

9. Cliff has notched up an impressive 14 number one singles spanning five decades, including Christmas hits 'Mistletoe And Wine' and 'Saviour's Day'.

10. ...though his last chart-topper, 1999's 'The Millennium Prayer', was named the worst number one of all time by VH1 in 2004.