Sir Rod Stewart has offered to pay half of Sir Cliff Richard’s legal bill following his sex abuse allegations.
The ‘Devil Woman’ musician was subject to a 22-month long investigation after four sex abuse allegations were made against him during 1958 and 1983, before all allegations against him were eventually dropped without the star having ever been arrested or charged.
Now, the ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy’ hitmaker has backed Cliff, saying he is standing with the star "one million percent".
Speaking at the Pinktober Gala presented by Hard Rock Heals at the Dorchester Hotel on Friday (14.10.16), the 71-year-old rocker said: "Cliff you were persecuted mate and we all know it. We are one million percent behind you. If you sue those b******s I’ll give you half."
The backing from the ‘I Don’t Want To Talk About It’ singer comes after it was announced that the 75-year-old singer songwriter had begun proceedings to sue both the BBC and the South Yorkshire police for naming him as the suspect in the child abuse case, and for publicly broadcasting the raid on his Berkshire mansion in 2014.
Speaking in a statement about the claims made against him, the ‘Summer Holiday’ actor said: "[I was] named before I was even interviewed, and for me that was like being hung out like ‘live bait’."
And the vocalist has admitted his life has been "turned upside down" since the unfortunate events.
Speaking previously, he said: "My life was effectively turned upside down and my reputation worldwide, was unnecessarily damaged. I would not want the same to happen to others whether in the public eye or not.
"Whilst the police of course need to properly investigate allegations made to them, it is clear to me that questions need to be answered by both the police and the BBC about their initial handling of my matter, which has rightly been condemned from so many quarters, including the Home Affairs Select Committee, the broader press, and, even the police themselves."