This Morning fans were left cringing as Sarah Ferguson gushed about ‘incredible’ Sir Cliff Richard – only for the veteran singer to end her praise in an ‘awkward’ moment

This is the awkward moment a visibly star-struck Sarah Ferguson gushed over Sir Cliff Richard today – only for the veteran singer to end her praise.

The Duchess of York, 64, appeared as a guest editor on today’s show, presenting alongside Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary.

After giving viewers relationship advice and hosting the show’s Spin to Win segment, Sarah sat down with the legendary singer to quiz him about his new album.

Sarah sat next to Cliff on the sofa and said: ‘I can’t get over it, it’s just unbelievable.

“You know, Sir Cliff, sitting here with you, I’m at a loss for words, and that’s very unlike me!”

Sir Cliff concluded the compliment, replying, “Oh come on, you’re never lost.”

The awkward moment didn’t go unnoticed by viewers – who took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to post about their interaction.

One wrote: ‘This whole Sarah Ferguson thing is so random and actually quite difficult to watch.’

Another wondered: ‘Sarah Ferguson and Cliff Richard on the same sofa together?’

Responding to Sarah posting about the show afterwards, a third said: ‘You did really well.

“It’s a shame Sir Cliff wasn’t a little more thoughtful in his comments.”

The mother-of-two was undeterred by the comment and then referred to one of her favorite songs by the singer, who has been making music for more than 65 years.

Fergie turned to Alison and Dermot and said: ‘I remember Living Doll and you weren’t born!’

Living Doll was released in 1959 – the year Sarah was born – and sold 1.86 million copies, becoming the best-selling single of the year.

Although Move It was the song that kick-started Sir Cliff’s career in 1958, Living Doll scored him his first number one – and stayed at the top of the charts for six weeks.

Furthermore, Fergie went on to label Sir Cliff as ‘incredible’ and praised his dance moves.

During the segment, viewers were shown clips of music videos from his new album Cliff With Strings featuring the 83-year-old dancing.

When asked if he had managed to stay so fit, Sir Cliff replied: ‘I went through a period of eating [one meal a day] but I started eating what is good for your blood type and I will stick to that. Sometimes I realize I’m just not hungry!’

After hearing this, Alison joked, “Can I come to your house and stay for a week?”

After the show, Sarah wrote on Instagram: ‘As co-host and guest editor, I have been fortunate to be able to choose a number of topics that I am passionate about. Thank you to my wonderful co-hosts and everyone who tuned in!”

Earlier in the show, Sarah had spoken her words of wisdom to viewers who were struggling with problems in their love lives.

During the love and relationships segment, the Duchess acted as a suffering aunt, offering advice to two couples struggling with intimacy issues in their marriages.

And there was a common thread in Sarah’s responses, with the mum-of-two suggesting both callers rekindled the spark by livening things up in the bedroom.

“Put a nice, provocative underwear section in your dresser drawer and you really make the hair, you know, blow-dry the hair and take it out for a treat.”

“It’s the element of surprise and it will bring the magic back into your relationship,” Prince Andrew’s ex-wife continued.

The first caller, Suzanne, explained how she and her husband struggle to balance a demanding career with a young child.

Sarah asked, “Is your husband feeling a little left out?”

Suzanne replied: ‘I think so, yes. The other day he had the tree lights on and wanted to do something, but I thought, ‘I can’t, I have to go to bed.’

“Okay, okay, so the first question I have for you is, do you have a friend next door or do you have a mother-in-law or your mother or someone who can just babysit or come over while you take your husband out on a date? big surprise?

“You come down and get a nice, provocative underwear section in your dresser and you actually fix the hair, you know, blow-dry the hair and take it out for a treat.

‘There must be more delicacies that he has no words for.

“So you say to him, ‘Don’t worry tonight honey, we’re going somewhere’ and you’ve got the whole thing sorted out and it’s all organised.

“It’s the element of surprise and it will bring the magic back into your relationship.”

Despite being separated for more than 27 years, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson remain close friends and live together at Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate.

In 2018, Sarah told the Daily Mail: ‘We are the happiest divorced couple in the world. We are separated from each other, not from each other […] It is my duty to him. I am so proud of him. I support him and always will. The way we are is our fairy tale.’

Three months after their engagement was announced, Sarah and Andrew married at Westminster Abbey in July 1986.

Speaking to Piers Morgan in 2011, Sarah said: ‘We married for total love. And when I walked down that aisle, I… I married my husband.”

The couple had their first child, Princess Beatrice, in August 1988 and Princess Eugenie followed in March 1990.

However, the couple legally separated just two years later. At the time, Sarah cited Prince Andrew’s naval commitments as the reason the marriage failed.

She told American presenter Ernie Manouse in 2010: ‘My deal was that I was going to marry my husband, who happened to be a prince and a naval officer.

‘But what I got was not the man, I got the palace and I didn’t get him… and the courtiers told me I had to go to Buckingham Palace and he had to go to sea. Before our wedding I saw him 40 days a year.’