Police investigation brought Cliff Richard closer to God

Singer Cliff Richard's battle to clear his name after being investigated for sexual abuse allegations brought him "closer" to God.

The "Roll over Beethoven" hitmaker's home here was raided by police after a man accused him of sexual assault in August 2014.

During the investigation, which went on for 22 months, Richard relied on his Christian faith to give him the strength to fight to clear his name, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"I felt closer to him (God) because I felt like, 'Who do I turn to?' There were certain friends, yes, of course, who I could turn to, but not at any time, I could turn to God in the middle of the night," he said on a TV show.

"In fact, I forgave my first accuser on the second night, I woke up thinking, 'How do I survive this if I have hate and vengeance?' I just said to God, 'Please help me forgive him.' So I uttered the words 'I forgive you, whoever you are.' And you know what? It was a lot easier the next day because I didn't burn with hate and vengeance.

"So for me, God became a reality much more so than he has done before, I don't know how people manage with someone like that to lean on through really bad times in your life," he said.

--IANS

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