Sir Tom Jones is still belting out the tunes at 84, proving age is just a number for this Welsh legend.
With bangers like It’s Not Unusual and Delilah under his belt, Sir Tom has been serenading fans for six decades and is currently smashing it on his sell-out Ages and Stages World Tour.
Despite being in his eighties, the maestro from The Voice is feeling top-notch, boasting to the Mirror: “Well, thank God my voice is still working. I am 83 years old.
READ MORE: Sir Tom Jones issues health update after fans urged him to ‘get checked out’
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“I mean I can’t believe it, but it is true. When I am singing I am like, ‘How the hell is this coming out of me?’ Honestly.
“If the voice was not there I am sure I would be going ‘Urgh, I don’t want to do so many shows’ but I love it as the voice is still working!”
But it’s not all smooth sailing for the Kiss hitmaker, born Thomas Jones Woodward, who’s had his fair share of health scares, including a hefty double hip replacement.
Double Trouble with Hips
(Image: Getty Images)
Tom’s been through the mill with his hips, having both replaced in recent times – the left one back in 2017 and the right one in 2022. He even admitted to the Daily Mail that before getting his right hip sorted, he could only manage about four songs standing up during gigs, saying: “Yeah, I can do about four songs without sitting,” before he went under the knife, reports the Mirror.
In a candid chat with The Mirror back in 2017, the legendary singer opened up about his agonising hip pain that just wouldn’t quit. He described it as a “dull ache” and after getting it checked out, discovered the cartilage in his left hip had vanished, leaving him with bone grinding on bone.
The It’s Not Unusual crooner spilled the beans on his health woes during the ITV Entertainment Autumn Showcase last year, where he dished on bouncing back from a double hip replacement before hitting the road for his global gig circuit. Tom admitted to facing some hurdles, spilling: “I’ve got to have a new hip. I had [my left hip] done five years ago and it worked great, so now [my right hip’s] starting to go wear and tear! So, at the moment, I’m bone on bone!”
He recounted his doc’s advice, saying: “That’s what the fella [doctor] told me. But I’ve got a tour to do in America first, I can’t go in now. He said, ‘Well, you should! ‘ I said, ‘I can’t, I’ve got a show to do!'”
Not one to leave fans hanging, Sir Tom later took to his social media to express gratitude for the love and concern sent his way, announcing triumphantly: “Papa has two new hips now! For all those concerned and sent in well wishes, I am pleased to report my recent surgery went very well, I’m following orders and doing my physio, so happy to say I will be back soon!”
Managing his weight
(Image: Mirrorpix)
The crooner has revamped his eating habits in recent years to keep his ticker ticking over nicely. He’s slashed the booze and gone all caveman with a paleo diet, munching on lean meats, fruits, fish, veggies, nuts and seeds.
Chatting on a Radio 2 show about shedding the pounds, Tom spilled: “I was putting too much weight on. I didn’t think I was going to and I left the working out for a bit, thought I’d keep a check on it.”
“But with the Christmas puddings and cakes, before I knew it I was 230lb (16.4 stone) which was 30lb more than I should be. I couldn’t get into my suits. That’s when I thought: ‘This has got to stop’.”
Flipping out for fitness
(Image: ITV)
Tom let slip three years back that he’s got a quirky way of staying shipshape by hanging upside down like a bat!
He once gabbed about this wacky “inversion therapy” technique, where you flip yourself over on a special kit.
In 2021, Tom dished to The Sun about this off-the-wall health hack, saying: “In 2030 I am going to be 90 years old. I hang upside down. You know on one of those frames. “It’s great. You put your feet in the thing and you flip and you hang.”
No plans to drop the mic
(Image: Getty Images)
Just last year, Tom vowed he’s not even close to quitting the stage, declaring he’ll only drop the mic if his vocal cords give out. With his voice still smashing it, his gig as a coach on ITV’s The Voice and touring the globe, it seems the legendary Sexbomb singer ain’t thinking of hanging up his mic just yet.
Reflecting on his journey to stardom, Sir Tom confessed he’s always been a bit of a show-off when it comes to the stage. Chatting with The Mirror, he said: “I had an uncle, my father’s older brother, and his name was Georgie and he was a singing waiter and he used to sing in pubs so I would go and see him.
“I knew that I could sing and I was not frightened of anything. [But] I did not want to be part of a choir in Wales. I wanted to show off.”
Lucky for all the swooning fans out there, the entertainer within is still kicking.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
