Sir Tom Jones says he fell for late wife Linda when they met as kids playing marbles.
Tom, who turns 80 tomorrow, was a boy called Tommy Woodward when he first set eyes on Melinda Trenchard, known as Linda, in their home town of Pontypridd.
They wed while still teenagers and were married 59 years until Linda died of cancer in 2016.
Tom tells a Radio 2 documentary marking his birthday: “I remember her playing marbles and I thought, ‘My God, what great legs she’s got’.
"And then she stood up and she was as pretty in the face as her legs were.
“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.”
Linda soon fell pregnant and had son Mark aged 16. The couple’s parents let them wed because the couple were so clearly besotted, says Tom.
She was his rock throughout his career, keeping him grounded behind the scenes, and they stayed together despite his reported affairs.
Sir Tom adds: “The more I think about it, it was destiny that she happened to be born around the corner.”
- Sir Tom’s Musical Years starts tonight on Radio 2 at 9pm, with part two next week.
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