Calling the Shots: My Autobiography

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They didn’t like the age difference of 16 years — I was 25, Cliff was 41 — and Dad warned me it could become a problem as we got older. I have always been a huge fan of A Question of Sport, and I was devastated when Sue was forced to leave. Focusing in particular on compassionate care, this practical textbook covers all aspects of psychology relevant to nursing and healthcare students.

With Greg, we’d both made the effort to be there for each other on the phone, even when we were in different parts of the world. The Press, of course, continued to focus on us as a couple whenever we were seen out together, but from that time onwards we were always with other people, never à deux. The sign of a good autobiography is when you actually get an insight into the real person, not just a repeat of the well known facts. In the end, we had a really, really nice night at the Hammersmith Odeon, joining the Shadows backstage afterwards and then all going out to dinner. One day, the late BBC presenter Jill Dando, who was a sort of mentor in the early days of my broadcasting career, asked if I’d mind if she tried to make a go of it with Cliff.What you do get reading this book is the warmth of a tennis player and television celebrity who is close to her family and made lots of true friends throughout her life, many of who are household names. It would have been so easy for him to say to any inquiring journalist: ‘Sue is happily married to Lance now, let’s leave it. Sue Barker never managed to get to the dizzy heights of the before mentioned superstars but she was very competitive, won a grand slam and then went on to have a career in the media. Frankly, it looks silly now that he’s still talking about a relationship that was never really more than a friendship. She reveals the battles she fought for hard-won success in two careers and gives us a ringside seat on the nation's biggest sporting dramas, and a fascinating insider's understanding of competitors under pressure, such a shame injuries plagued her last few years.

If someone had told me that my relationship with Cliff would last a few months but I’d still be hearing about it 40 years later, I wouldn’t have gone near him. A quite, honest, sincere women, great career, but also a larger and fuller television career, and one thing is for sure. The Shadows had cheered me on and I’d given them a hug, promising to come to their concert in London. In a new book, an extract of which was shared on MailOnline, Barker, 66, wrote: “If someone had told me that my relationship with Cliff would last a few months but I’d still be hearing about it 40 years later, I wouldn’t have gone near him.And now, after four decades on camera encouraging other legends to share their stories, she is telling her own. Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. It seems ridiculous to me that someone who is apparently considering marriage doesn’t like being asked what he is doing next Saturday. We’ve now been together for 34 years and he remains my best friend, my rock, and makes me laugh every day.

Also pleased to find that as well as being a very nice person she is also gutsy and fully able to stick up for herself.

As a broadcaster, in 2001 she became the first woman to win the Royal Television Society's best sports presenter award. Her book has an appealing cover, an apt title, two sections of photos; always a plus for me, and an index. Richard is known for the songs “Summer Holiday”, “Congratulations”, “Living Doll” and “Millennium Prayer”. Whilst many books have been written on psychology for healthcare professionals, this book offers a unique insight into compassionate, person-centred care, drawing on psychological theories and perspectives.

Join Sue for this exclusive live event as she takes us inside the showbizzy world of 70s and early 80s tennis.This book presents to the reader all that is necessary and interesting about the theories and concepts that underpin humans caring for other humans.