Delia Wicks – The Woman Cliff Richard Loved But Couldn’t Keep
Few fans know that in the early 1960s, before he became one of the UK’s most iconic music stars, Cliff Richard was deeply in love with a young Australian dancer named Delia Wicks. Their relationship lasted nearly 18 months, and though it was serious and heartfelt, it ended not with happiness, but with sacrifice—Cliff had to choose between love and his rising fame.
Delia Wicks was a charming and talented dancer performing in London clubs and stages when she met Cliff. At that time, he was around 19 years old and just starting to gain national attention in the British pop scene. According to Delia, their relationship was genuine and serious. She was even introduced to Cliff’s family and had hopes of one day becoming his wife.
However, as Cliff’s popularity skyrocketed, so did the pressure from his management and record label. He was being marketed as the ideal bachelor heartthrob, a symbol of youthful charm and availability. A serious relationship could threaten that image and risk his fanbase.
In 1961, Cliff made the painful decision to end the relationship. He wrote Delia a heartfelt letter, expressing his regret and his inability to continue the romance. One of the most heartbreaking lines in that letter read:
“Being a pop singer I have to give up… any lasting relationship with any special girl…”
Delia kept that letter for the rest of her life. She never married, and in a rare interview in the late 1990s, she spoke about Cliff with warmth, not bitterness. “He was the love of my life,” she said, “but I understood why he made that choice.”
Cliff Richard, in his own autobiography, acknowledged Delia and their time together. He admitted that ending their relationship was one of the hardest choices he ever made. But at that point in his career, he felt unable to balance his personal life with the demands of fame.
For fans who’ve followed Cliff’s journey, the story of Delia Wicks is a poignant reminder that fame often comes with deep personal cost. While Cliff would go on to achieve legendary status in the music world, the quiet love he left behind is a part of his story that rarely gets told.
Today, as we look back on this forgotten chapter, it’s hard not to wonder: what might have been, had Cliff chosen differently? But in the world of show business, such crossroads are all too common—where hearts break quietly behind the curtain, and only the spotlight remains.