Sir Tom Jones became emotional as he told an audience at the Hay Festival in Wales that his late wife, Linda, who died in April, was the 'most important thing' in his life. The singer, 78, was discussing his autobiography, Over the Top and Back, when he spoke of his 59-year marriage to his childhood sweetheart.
'I realised that she's always been very important to me, throughout my life. But now I realise she might have been the most important thing in my life - and she still is,' he said, fighting back tears.
Lady Linda died of cancer in April. The couple met as teenagers and married in 1957. Sir Tom told GQ editor Dylan Jones, who interviewed him on stage, that he never considered leaving her. 'No. Never. Never crossed my mind - it didn't cross her mind. It was solid. We had a solid marriage that nothing could shake and we both felt that.'
He added: 'I felt very lucky to have fallen in love at an early age. We were teenagers, we fell in love, not just in lust. A lot of teenagers fall in lust and then it doesn't last. But we knew this thing was forever, for as long as we would be alive. That's how strong the marriage was.'
Sir Tom is due to kick off his UK tour with a performance at Hampton Court Palace on 8 June.
