Priest who's become Cliff Richard's rock: As he faces ...

Priest who's become Cliff Richard's rock: As he faces biggest crisis of his life, there's one man he can rely on - Father John, who quit Church to be 'Man Friday' at his four homes

Cliff Richard is battling allegations that he sexually assaulted a young boy at a Christian rally in Sheffield in 1985 The person who will be the singer's most staunch defender is ex-priest John McElynn - his close friend and manager of his four luxury properties They met at a tennis event in 2000, and within a year John had given up the priesthood

By Alis on Boshoff for Daily Mail

Published: 21:07 GMT, 15 August 2014 | Updated: 02:05 GMT, 16 August 2014

On a balmy June evening in New York earlier this summer, Sir Cliff Richard was invited to perform at a celebratory event at the British Residence hosted by the British Consul General.

Cliff was in great spirits -- singing Living Doll, Move It and Congratulations -- and giving a short speech about his life and career.

And among the guests, who were tickled by the tennis-themed canapes at the pre-Wimbledon do, was a tall, burly man in a navy blazer.

John McElynn delighted guests with his bonhomie and pictures show him apparently having a very pleasant time.

8/16/2014 Priest who's become Cliff Richard's rock: As he faces biggest crisis of his life, there's one man he can rely on - Father John, who quit Church to be 'Man ...

Form er priest John McElynn (right) - along w ith Cliff's sisters Donna and Jaqui - w ill be Cliff Richard's rock as he battles allegations that he sexually assaulted a young

boy at a Christian rally in Sheffield in 1985

One fellow guest tells me, though, that Mr McElynn kept a close eye on Cliff at all times, making sure that he was happy and at ease. For John, 60, is always Sir Cliff's `plus one' to such events -- a loyal and supportive presence upon whom the star clearly depends.

The former priest has become Cliff's constant companion as he travels between his homes across the globe. Now he -- along with Cliff's sisters Donna and Jaqui -- will be the singer's rock as he battles allegations that he sexually assaulted a young boy at a Christian rally in Sheffield in 1985.

Sir Cliff, 73, has already said that the allegations are `completely false'. Nevertheless, following a police raid on his apartment in Sunningdale, Berkshire, on Thursday he will face questioning over the alleged incident.

For a man who has been in showbusiness for 55 years without a whisper of scandal, it is likely to be a bruising experience. He is apparently already furious that the police seem to have notified the BBC of the raid so they could film it.

Sir Cliff, famously clean-living and Christian, takes pride in his reputation as the nicest man in pop. His recordbreaking career -- he has sold 250 million records and built a ?50 million fortune -- is built on that image.

8/16/2014 Priest who's become Cliff Richard's rock: As he faces biggest crisis of his life, there's one man he can rely on - Father John, who quit Church to be 'Man ...

Aerial footage: Police searching Cliff Richard's home

Understandably, friends and former colleagues are lining up to express their support for him. His former manager, Bill Latham, called the allegations `a fiction', while his former promotions man, Malcolm Hill, said: `I did UK promotion with him for 20 years, and there was not a hint of anything remotely dodgy in all that time. `Yet he is guilty by media exposure already -- whatever happened to innocent until proved guilty?' The person who will be his most staunch defender, though, and the man who spends the most time with the singer, is John McElynn, who was once known as Father John. They met at a tennis event in 2000, and within a year John had given up the priesthood and assumed a job as Cliff's property manager. He has since assumed a `Man Friday' role in the singer's life. John is in the habit, for instance, of travelling a day ahead of Sir Cliff to make sure that his houses are in perfect condition when he walks through the door. The entertainer is undoubtedly fastidious. When I interviewed Cliff in Switzerland years ago, I observed him watering a wilting hotel plant with bottled water. Cliff likes things just so, and John makes sure that they are. McElynn was born in New York in 1953 to a working-class Catholic family. They lived in Queens and his father was a photo engraver at the New York Times, which made the family prosperous by the standards of the neighbourhood. Described as bright but shy, young John was sent to St John's Prep, a New York private school. In 1981, aged 22, he joined a seminary run by the Congregation of the Mission, an order dedicated to bringing the word of God to the poor.

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