Tom Jones recalls the moment he fell in love with late wife

Tom Jones, who turns 80 today, has paid tribute to his late wife Linda on his birthday. During a BBC Radio 2 documentary to mark the milestone birthday, the ‘Sex Bomb’ singer revealed that he met his future wife when they were playing marbles as teenagers.

“I remember her playing marbles and I thought, ‘My God, what great legs she’s got’,” the Welsh icon recalled. “And then she stood up and she was as pretty in the face as her legs were.”

He continued: “Then we started playing kiss-chase. I felt different when I kissed her, and she felt the same way. We started dancing together when we were 15. She would look great. She was the best-looking girl around there and we got together. It was magic.”

Tom married Linda at the age of 17 and the pair stayed together for 59 years until she sadly died of lung cancer in 2016. “The more I think about it, it was destiny that she happened to be born around the corner,” he added.

Meanwhile, many fans have since taken to social media to wish Tom a very happy birthday, with one writing: “Wishing Sir #TomJones a very Happy 80th Birthday this weekend.”

Another added: “Diamonds are forever and so is the legend that is Sir Tom Jones. So many classic songs and still proving to this day that he’s one of the all-time vocalists. #TomJonesAt80.”

While a third wrote: “Sir Tom Jones 80th birthday this weekend. What a life he’s had! From a small Welsh town to international superstar to one of Las Vegas’ more enduring star attractions. Here with his friend Elvis at the Flamingo Hotel in June 1969.”

Sir Tom Jones 80th birthday this weekend. What a life he's had ! From a small Welsh town to international superstar to one of Las Vegas's more enduring star attractions. Here with his friend Elvis at the Flamingo Hotel June 1969. #ElvisPresley #LasVegas pic.twitter.com/ALnQ7iqwfL

— Geoff Randall (@Geoff55R) June 5, 2020

Tom first came to fame in the early 1960s as a sex symbol with a phenomenal voice. He is best known for his songs ‘It’s Not Unusual’, ‘What’s New, Pussycat?’, ‘Green, Green Grass of Home’, and ‘Delilah’. While his hits during the 70s included ‘Daughter of Darkness’, ‘She’s a Lady’, ‘The Young New Mexican Puppeteer’, and ‘Say You’ll Stay Until Tomorrow’. More recently, Tom became a judge on the UK version of the popular singing competition The Voice, where he often belts out old tunes on the hit program.