Jimmy Tarbuck chokes up over Cilla Black saying 'I loved her... she loved me'

07 December 2023 , 20:22

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Jimmy Tarbuck and Cilla in the 1970s (Image: TV Times via Getty Images)

Comedian Jimmy Tarbuck got all choked up as he remembered Cilla Black in a new radio documentary.

Tearful Tarby, 83, told the show his life had been richer for knowing the fellow Liverpudlian, who died in 2015 in Spain aged 72. He believes the music and TV legend will never be topped. Tarby said: “Cilla used to give them [the fans] what they wanted. Nice songs, bit of a laugh, at her own expense. She lived a wonderful life. I’m getting a bit choked… my life was all the better for having known her. I loved her. She loved me a little. I was grateful of that. She could sing anything. She was our Cilla.”

Jimmy Tarbuck remembers Cilla on Christmas Radio 2 show (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

Sir Cliff Richard, 83, also talks on the Radio 2 Christmas Day programme about his close bond with the Anyone Who Had A Heart singer. Sir Cliff performed all the UK songs shortlisted for Eurovision in 1968 on her variety show Cilla. But they became closer in the 2000s in Barbados when Cliff would chauffeur the non-driving star to parties. He said: “Cilla is a genuine friend. Not just to me, but to many other people. I loved her and still do.”

Jimmy and Cilla in 1964 (Getty Images)

In a career spanning more than 50 years, Cilla also hosted hit shows such as Blind Date and Surprise Surprise. But it was when she was heavily pregnant with Robert Willis in 1970 she became a trailblazer. Cilla was presented to Queen Elizabeth, who was visiting BBC studios, and sang a cheekily titled song for the occasion. Robert said: “The Queen was never presented to a visibly pregnant woman. It had never happened before, it wasn’t in the etiquette.”

Sir Cliff annd Cilla laugh at Wimbledon in 2003 (Press Association)

He added Cilla, which ran from 1968 to 1976, showed a pop singer becoming a TV entertainer. Lyricist Sir Tim Rice said she was a remarkable star and he had been surprised at just how brilliant she was at TV presenting.

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• Cilla Black at the BBC, Christmas Day, Radio 2, 10pm and available from today on the BBC Sounds app.

Mark Jefferies