Singer Cliff Richard says he has been treated for prostate cancer

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LONDON (AP) — British pop star Cliff Richard said Monday he has been given the all-clear after treatment for prostate cancer.

The 85-year-old singer joined calls for Britain to introduce a national screening program for the disease.

Richard told “Good Morning Britain” that he was diagnosed a year ago after a health check for his insurance before a tour to Australia and New Zealand.

He said “the good fortune was that it was not very old, and the other thing is that it has not metastasized.”

Richard said the treatment was successful, but “I don’t know whether it’s going to come back.”

He said it was “absolutely ridiculous” that Britain does not have a wide prostate cancer testing program. The state-funded National Health Service currently offers routine screening for breast, bowel and cervical cancer.

The U.K. National Screening Committee has recommended a targeted prostate cancer screening program for men with a genetic mutation that puts them at higher risk. Several high-profile figures who have been treated for prostate cancer have called for a wider screening effort, including cyclist Chris Hoy and former Prime Minister David Cameron.

Richard came to fame in the 1950s and has had U.K. chart hits across seven decades, including “Summer Holiday,” “The Young Ones” and “We Don’t Talk Anymore.”

His intervention follows a call by King Charles III for people to get screened for cancer. The king, who announced in February 2024 that he had an undisclosed form of cancer, said early diagnosis and treatment will allow doctors to reduce his treatment in the new year.

“Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives,” the king said in a video message broadcast Friday.