The Voice UK coach Sir Tom Jones has spoken about dealing with the loss of his wife and revealed how counselling saved his life.
Tom and Linda were together for 59 years before Linda died from lung cancer in April last year.
In an interview with The Mirror ahead of tonight’s final of the talent show, Sir Tom admitted there were days when he couldn’t even get out of bed following her death.
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And it was his son Mark, who urged his father to seek professional help to deal with his grief.
Explaining what the counsellor told him, Sir Tom said:
“She said to me ‘You have got to carry on. If you don’t, you will die’. I thought of my family, my son, my daughter and my grandchildren – all of that.”
Speaking of how he struggled in the weeks after Linda’s death, the singer explained:
“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.”
He kept busy with work, and this year returned to The Voice as a coach when it moved from the BBC to ITV.
Revealing his work and singing in particular was the only thing that saved him, Sir Tom said:
“Time off would be death for me. The only time I’ll take off is when I die. I don’t take long periods of time off. I’m happier when I’m singing, than not.”
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He was recently linked to Elvis’s widow Priscilla Presley, but despite the reports, he has said he won’t ever remarry.
Tom sits on The Voice panel alongside will.i.am, Jennifer Hudson, and Gavin Rossdale, and with his act, Into The Ark, making the final tonight, he’s already looking ahead to next year.
“We are talking about it now so it looks pretty positive.
“I’d hate to count my chickens before they’ve hatched but I’d like to do it. I like it and they know I do.”
We’d love to see him back next year!