They were the suave sex gods of the Sixties, whose hip-swivelling routines and supersized sideburns had teenage girls swooning – especially when the one-time label-mates shared a stage together.
But nowadays it’s not unusual to see singers Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck embroiled in a vicious war of words – 60 years after they had their first chart hits.
Six months ago, Humperdinck, best known for his No1 hit in 1967, Release Me, said of Jones in an interview: ‘I think he’s lost his voice. I don’t think he’s got it any more.’
Now, Welsh heartthrob Jones, known for his Sixties songs Delilah and She’s A Lady, and his 1999 hit Sex Bomb, has sensationally hit back at his former chart rival Humperdinck, telling The Mail on Sunday that he is a ‘p****’.
Jones, who was knighted in 2006 and who next Saturday returns to ITV as coach on its talent show The Voice, insisted he has no intention of making amends.
He said: ‘There’s nothing friendly about him and I. He’s a p****, quote me on that. We fell out years ago. He’s tried, but I won’t talk to him.’
Welsh heartthrob Tom Jones (pictured), known for his Sixties songs Delilah and She’s A Lady, and his 1999 hit Sex Bomb, has sensationally hit back at his former chart rival
Six months ago, Humperdinck (pictured in 1969), best known for his No1 hit in 1967, Release Me, said of Jones in an interview: ‘I think he’s lost his voice. I don’t think he’s got it any more’
The two men began their careers in the Sixties, signed to the prestigous Decca Records. Jones joined first in 1963 and Humperdinck – then known as Gerry Dorsey – arrived two years later.
Chart rivalries soon spawned jealousies and the pair began to drift apart. While the origins of their feud have never been entirely clear, one of Jones’s former girlfriends alleged that Humperdinck flirted with her in 1979. She explained that when she told Jones about the other singer’s advances, he just ‘sat there in stony silence’.
And in 2015, Jones told Metro: ‘Once a c***, always a c***.’
The two have now not spoken for more than 40 years, though Humperdinck claims he did try and offer his sympathies after Jones’s wife Linda died in 2016.
This year will be Jones’s 12th series on The Voice and while he doesn’t sing on it he does still want to protect his voice and stop himself from ageing – by sleeping with tape over his mouth.
And he has revealed that he has influenced the rest of The Voice judges to start doing it. He said: ‘I’ve got good health, you’ve got to. I sleep on my side, but I tape my mouth up.
‘I was getting a dry throat so I saw this was supposed to help. I used one on my nose for years to open my airways up.
‘Now I’m older I don’t have to look good in bed. But sometimes I get up to go to the toilet and give myself a shock.’
Jones, who was knighted in 2006 and who next Saturday returns to ITV as coach on its talent show The Voice, insisted he has no intention of making amends
While the origins of their feud have never been entirely clear, one of Jones’s former girlfriends alleged that Humperdinck flirted with her in 1979
Jones also revealed that his close friend Olly Murs was ‘really bothered’ to no longer be on the show after he was axed after six years.
At the time, Murs revealed his departure wasn’t amicable as it was thought the decision came from producers wanting to attract younger audiences by signing new judges.
Jones said: ‘We’ve both been on the road, but when it happened we talked quite a bit. He didn’t want to leave, he loved doing the show.
‘It really bothered him, he didn’t like it. He’s married now and has a kid, so his life has changed. But it definitely bothered him.’
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