Sir Cliff Richard was quick to shut down EastEnders star Charlie Brooks as she revealed a potential family connection to him when the pair appeared on Friday’s The One Show.
The singing legend, 82, sat on the iconic BBC soap beside the Janine Butcher actress, and Charlie was eager to bust an urban myth from her family which connects her to the Mistletoe and Wine singer. Unfortunately for Charlie, Cliff wasted no time in admitting the tale was “absolute rubbish.”
Keen Charlie must have expressed her wish to find out if the anecdote was true because presenter Alex Jones brought it up in conversation.
“There’s a family mystery that Charlie would like you to solve,” she told Cliff. “So Charlie, you set the scene.”
She went on: “Tell Sir Cliff what he needs to sort out for you.”
An excited Charlie explained: “So, the story went, Cliff, that you back in the day were a roadie for my grandad.
Now this could have been changed and it might be a myth, we don’t know.
“So you were a roadie for my grandad and one evening, the lead singer went off and you stepped in and there was a scout in that night and that’s when you were discovered…”
After a brief pause, Cliff surveyed the room and remarked: “Absolute rubbish.”
“Oh!” Charlie exclaimed awkwardly before the actress burst out laughing.
“Oh, it was such a brilliant build-up as well,” co-host Gethin Jones chuckled.
“I know!” a disappointed Charlie agreed, as Alex remarked: “It would have been such a brilliant connection!”
Cliff stated: “No, the funny thing is the only person that ever came to me – I had two friends, a drummer and another guitarist.
“And we used to play in pubs and things, and one of the places we played was in Hoddlesden-“
“Yeah! That’s where they’re from!” Charlie cut in. “He was an identical twin!”
“So the story is close,” Cliff admitted, to which Charlie commented: “Oh okay, okay…”
The singing legend continued “This guy suddenly walked in on this day with a big leather jacket, and he listened and we played and he said, ‘I can make you a star.’
“And of course, after we’d picked ourselves up off the floor laughing, he did in fact help very much.
“Because he got me to pay in the Two Eyes Coffee Bar, and slowly things happened.”
He added: “Other than with my band I was never around waiting to take someone else’s place.”
“You were always the star!” Charlie chimed, while Gethin concluded: “We’ve done some myth-busting!”
Later, Charlie went on to reveal when her last EastEnders scenes as the iconic Janine Butcher would air, confirming a Boxing Day exit in what’s set to be an explosive Christmas.
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