The Voice UK judge Tom Jones is a showbiz legend – but he’s had his fair share of high-profile spats over the years.
Since shooting to fame back in the 1960s, the Welsh crooner has become a somewhat national treasure. But over the years, Tom – who is on The Voice UK tonight (September 21) – has not been afraid to speak his mind about his fellow celebs.
But which Beatles member did he threaten to punch? And what famous singer did he “fall out years ago” with? Keep reading to find out…
The Voice UK Tom Jones ‘snubbed’ by Shirley Bassey
In 2022, Tom revealed that Shirley Bassey rejected the chance to perform a duet with him at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee concert.
However, he later shared that Shirley only wanted to the gig if she was able to sing on her own solo set.
“She was going to be a surprise guest on my spot, but then Shirley said: ‘If I don’t get my own spot, I’m not going to do it.'”
He added: “So, that’s fair enough, isn’t it? I thought it was going to be a good thing. But she felt that she deserved her own spot, then I’d do mine, then we would do a duet.”
John Lennon
Tom and former Beatles star John met on the British television show, Thank Your Lucky Stars, which ran between 1961 and 1966.
But during a 1965 episode, things took an awkward turn after Lennon made a homophobic slur about Sir Tom.
Recounting the tale to Channel Bee, Sir Tom claimed: “John Lennon was the first one out on the floor, and he looks up at me, he’s got his guitar.
“He says to the tune of It’s Not Unusual: ‘It’s not a unicorn, it’s an elephant,’ and then said: ‘How you doing you Welsh p**f,'” he recalled. Fuming, Sir Tom then responded: ‘Come up here, you Scouse p***k, and I’ll show you.”
Tom also told Elvis Presley of the incident after he had a ruck with the Beatles star: “I had a run-in with him myself. He made some smart remark at a TV studio in England, where we were appearing on the show Thank Your Lucky Stars. I wanted to take him outside and see what sort of hiding his intellect would stand.”
However, Tom noted that his comments were John’s “sense of humour” and that they went on to become friends.
The Voice star Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck’s feud
Tom and fellow singer Engelbert Humperdinck have had a long-standing rivalry that spans decades.
Earlier this year, Tom told The Sun on Sunday: “We fell out years ago. There is nothing friendly about me and Engelbert because he is a [bleep] and you can quote me on that.
“We fell out years ago. He has tried [to reconcile things] but I don’t want to talk,” he added.
Meanwhile, back in February, Engelbert made a brutal dig about Tom. He told The Sun he thinks Tom has “lost” his vocal abilities. He added: “I don’t think he’s got it any more.”
Tom Jones’ savage dig about Rod Stewart
Back in 2015, Tom was left irked by a comment Rod Stewart apparently made at one of his gigs in LA. According to Tom, during the gig, Rod spoke to the crowd and told them that he “came from nothing”.
An unimpressed Tom later told The Big Issue: “To be honest with you, I saw a special Rod Stewart gig in LA, and he said: ‘I came from nothing.’
“And I thought, you didn’t come from nothing. I saw your mother and father in the documentary, and they were hardworking people. To say you come from nothing… I don’t agree with that. We all come from something.”
Watch Tom on The Voice at 8:30pm on Saturday (September 21) on ITV1.
Read more: Why Tom Jones’ late wife ‘never put him on the spot’ over infidelities
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