Why Cliff and Olivia Never Married - Joepie

Translation from Dutch:

Intimate Secret Revealed

We're just really good friends, nothing more, nothing less. This classic platitude was often uttered by the public many years ago when they wanted to know exactly what was going on between Olivia Newton-John and Cliff Richard.

In the early 1970s, the two regularly made headlines, but they never spoke plainly. Cliff, however, was full of praise for his Australian discovery. And Olivia, for her part, never missed an opportunity to express her admiration and affection for Cliff. But whenever the word love came up, the subject was cleverly dodged. Or, not without a little chuckle, they simply clam up.

The press crusader of the time had seen the potential of a romance, but each time returned empty-handed. Twelve years later, Olivia reveals for the first time — without beating around the bush — that what was then considered a platitude was, in fact, the very truth. Cliff and Olivia were never more than just good friends. But their friendship was something very special. A moving story of two young people who found each other, but realized that marriage would not have stood a chance.

Trip To London

I met Cliff through the Shadows, Olivia introduces her story. Or rather, through John Farrar, who also lived in Australia. I was very popular there, and John had his own group. We became good friends. A while later, John met the Shadows, who were touring in Australia. He joined the group and moved to England. John wrote occasionally. How fantastic he was having it there. And that I should come over sometime. A year later, it happened. I had won a singing contest on Australian TV. The first prize was a trip to London. The first thing I did was look up John. He told me about his group, about their adventures. And about the singer they regularly worked with, a guy named Cliff Richard. He said he'd introduce me sometime

Hitch To The Hotel

That first meeting took place at a party in London, where Cliff and the Shadows were guests. Olivia will never forget that moment. It was pouring rain outside, and I was soaking wet when I was introduced to Cliff. I'd spent hours doing my hair, and I looked like a drowning rat. I felt so embarrassed. But Cliff immediately put me at ease. I found his kindness enchanting. I think I fell in love with him right then.

That evening we talked for fifteen minutes, about my career in Australia, about my future plans. Towards the end of the evening, he came and sat next to me again. He asked if I wanted a lift to the hotel. There you have it, I thought. Because of course, I was convinced that Cliff, like most pop stars, was a real playboy. I had a bit of a crush on him, I found him very endearing, but I was nowhere near ready for a new romance. I'd just had a painful adventure in Australia. I'd lost all faith in boys. So I sat in the car, wondering: how am I going to get rid of that guy when he tries it on with me? I could hardly believe that he dutifully dropped me off at my hotel and told me he'd call me in the next few days. So Cliff wasn't a playboy. I thought that was so great.

Intimate Dinner

Three days later he called me, Olivia continues. He was in the studio and asked me if I wanted to audition. After the session, Cliff invited me to dinner. We spent five hours in that restaurant.

Cliff told me I had enough talent to make it, that he wanted to help me, but that I had to decide for myself whether I wanted to stay in London or go back to Australia. We talked about everything: my heartbreak, my parents, the mentality of showbiz. It was only the second time I'd seen him, and yet I felt like I'd known him for years. That he was the best friend I'd ever had. Cliff is so honest that you trust him immediately. That night, I truly fell in love with him. He took me back to my hotel and, as a goodbye, said, Think about it for a few days, and then call me back. And he was gone, without a kiss.

Olivia had actually made the decision that very evening. She would stay in England. And in retrospect, I made that decision because I wanted to see Cliff again, she confesses. That was more important to me at that moment than my career.

Shy Boy

Cliff recorded a duo with Olivia and took her on tour. They were spotted together everywhere, the magazines were full of it.

I found it very annoying, says Olivia. People wrote that we were in love, but Cliff hadn't shown any of it yet. Even though we had the most intimate conversations during that tour, about everything and anything. Only those newspaper clippings weren't mentioned a word. At first, I thought Cliff had another girl and that's why I kept a certain distance. One night, I plucked up the courage. We were sitting together at the bar after a show; I finally wanted to know what would happen next.

I was madly in love with him, you can say that. But I was too shy to ask him directly. That's why I had cut out one of those newspaper clippings where people talked about our romance. That evening, at the bar, I gave it to him. I could see that Cliff was bored with it. Because he's actually a shy guy.

That evening, he talked about his religious beliefs for the first time. That was a surprise to me, because back then it was still something of a secret. His record label boss wouldn't let him talk about it because it wouldn't do his image any good. His explanation boiled down to this: he was in love with me too, but sex before marriage was taboo for him. And he didn't immediately see marriage happening, he said. We were both too busy; it would never work out. I fell into his arms, crying. Now I understood him completely. And even though I didn't agree with his beliefs, I respected his way of life. Cliff isn't a fanatic. He doesn't want to impose his beliefs on others.

When I later lived with Bruce Welch of the Shadows for a while, he never said anything about it. Not even when I met my ex-manager Lee and moved to America with him. In short: Cliff was the first man I truly fell in love with. But he was never able to reciprocate that love. One thing, however, will remain forever: the deep friendship I feel for no one else. There's only one like Cliff.

Photo captions: Not love, but an everlasting friendship.
In 1971, Cliff and Olivia had just met. I fell in love with him right away, Olivia recalls.
A little over a year ago, Olivia invited her best friends as guests on her American TV show. Cliff, of course, was there too.
Even after Olivia left for the States, they remained best friends.
Cliff and Olivia when they were on tour together. All of Europe wondered what was going on between them.