Sir Cliff Richard selling £2.5m haven in sun as court battle looms with BBC
SIR Cliff Richard has put his beloved £2.5million Caribbean retreat up for sale as part of plans to shrink his property empire.
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The move to sell the six-bed villa in Barbados comes just a year after he sold his luxury apartment in Berkshire as a court battle with the BBC looms.
The singer, 77, has also sold his Portuguese vineyard, halving the £8million asking price for a “quick sell”, according to sources.
The Barbados mansion, in the island’s wealthy Sugar Hill Resort, boasts beautiful sea views.
While the price tag has not been revealed, similar properties have sold for around £2.5million.
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It is time to slow down the treadmill and hand over the dream
The property features a powder room, large covered terrace with formal dining area, informal seating areas, a bar, tennis courts, a large swimming pool and a pool house with a second kitchen and dining table for casual eating.
While Sir Cliff dispensed with his Portuguese vineyard, he still owns the property nearby.
Sir Cliff’s bottles of Mediterranean wine, Vida Nova, have been produced since 2001 by neighbours Nigel and Lesley Birch.
He said of his decision to sell the 60,000 square-yard vineyard: “It is time to slow down the treadmill and hand over the dream to someone who can dedicate more time to this wonderful venture than we can.”
Sir Cliff said the Algarve home helped him “survive great despair” after his apartment in Sunningdale was raided by police following a false accusation of sexual assault made in 2013 and dating back to 1985.
Sir Cliff denied the claim and in June 2016 prosecutors announced he would face no charges.
The allegation had been passed to South Yorkshire Police in July 2014.
It agreed to pay the singer substantial damages after he sued the force over tipping off the BBC, who filmed officers raiding his Sunningdale home.
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Sir Cliff described that period in his life as “two years of hell”.
He later wrote: “It was here [Portugal] that I had the most terrible time of my life.
“But it was also here that I had the most beautiful time when it all ended.
“This place was such a haven. It didn’t change the despair but I’d rather have been despairing here than anywhere else.”
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News that the star is selling more of his property empire comes two weeks after Mr Justice Mann warned him that details of his personal finances might be revealed in the High Court battle with the BBC, during a preliminary hearing.
Sir Cliff is suing the BBC over its coverage of the Sunningdale raid, which was broadcast live.
His lawyers say he has suffered “profound, long-lasting” damage as a result of the raid and its broadcast.
BBC editors say they will defend themselves “vigorously”.
A BBC spokesman said it had reported Sir Cliff’s “full denial of the allegations at every stage”.
