Inside Tom Jones' 59-year marriage to wife Linda

Sir Tom Jones' was married to his wife Linda for 59 years before her sad death, and considered her "the one".  

MORE: Tom Jones reveals what late wife Linda really thought of The Voice

The 80-year-old, who is currently serving as a judge on ITV's The Voice, lost his wife in 2016 to a "short but fierce" battle with cancer. Find out more about their relationship timeline here... 

WATCH: Tom Jones opens up about what it's like to go on The Voice

Tom married his childhood sweetheart Melinda (known as Linda) Trenchard in 1957 when he was just 17 years old. In his autobiography Over the Top and Back, the legendary singer recalled how he fell for Linda when they were both just eight years old. 

Tom and Linda tied the knot when they were both 17

Tom pursued Linda for years before she finally agreed to go on a date with him when she was 15. Just two years later, the couple fell pregnant with their first and only child, a son they named Mark. To support his young family Tom took a job working in a glove factory, but it wasn't long before his singing career took off.

MORE: Everything you need to know about Tom Jones' family life

MORE: Tom Jones' heartbreaking comments about wife before her sad death

In a rare interview, Linda once said of her husband: "I feel alive when [Tom] comes through the door, whatever the time of day or night is."

The son of a coal miner gifted with a phenomenal baritone voice, Tom dreamed of fame, while Linda had few expectations outside of their hometown of Treforest in South Glamorgan. While the couple were completely devoted to each other, Tom's success as a singer led him to spend weeks and months away from Linda.

Tom, Lind and their son Mark

Tom has spoken candidly in the past about his multiple affairs and the impact his infidelity had on his wife. The singer has admitted to being intimate with "over 250" other women a year at the height of his fame.

"[The affairs were] never discussed, I was never put on the spot. Linda is a wonderful person and she would never put me on the spot. She loves being married to me and I love being married to her," Tom said during an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show in 2016.

Tom was left devastated by Linda's death

A lifelong smoker, Linda beat lung cancer twice before eventually succumbing to the disease at the age of 75 in 2016 after a "short but fierce" battle. Tom was left absolutely devastated by Linda's death, and told the Sunday Mirror: "When my wife passed away – God bless her – I didn't know whether I would make it. There were days when I felt I couldn't get up, you don't want to get out of bed to start with."

Following her death, Tom moved out of their £6.5million mansion in LA and returned to the UK, where he bought a flat in London, something he said Linda wanted to do in her final years but was not able to due to her fear of flying.

MORE: Tom Jones’ late wife insisted he live here over £6.5million LA mansion

This April will mark five years since Linda's sad passing, and it's clear that Tom still keeps his late wife in his thoughts. Speaking to HELLO! and other press about the current series of ITV's The Voice, Tom smiled as he recounted his wife's love for the show. 

He said: "When my wife was still alive, I would take the DVDs back to LA to show her the show."  Laughing, he added that Linda would scold him for not turning for her favourite performers.

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