Sir Tom Jones has told that he was replaced by Rod Stewart at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee concert after Dame Shirley Bassey did not want to appear as his guest. Earlier in the summer, Buckingham Palace held a big gig to celebrate 70 years since the Queen's coronation, with artists like Diana Ross, George Ezra, Duran Duran and Rod Stewart, who led the crowd with a rendition of Sweet Caroline.
But it was noticeable that one of the UK's top artists of the past six decades, Tom, was absent. Now in the lead up to the new series of The Voice UK - on which Tom is a coach - the Treforest singer has divulged the reason we didn't hear his unmistakeable tones.
Tom, 82 – who once performed with Dame Shirley, 85, on his TV variety series in 1970 – told how she was going to be his surprise guest in June, reports MirrorOnline, who have approached Bassey's team for comment.
But he said the Goldfinger singer had other ideas, adding: "Shirley said, 'If I don't get my own spot I am not going to do it'. It is fair enough. I thought it was a good idea. She would be the surprise guest and I would've said, 'Here is Dame Shirley Bassey to help me with the next song'. Then I would do mine and then we would do a duet. Which is fair enough but if she could not do that then she did not want to do it."
In the end neither singer performed and Tom explained that it was also down to him being asked to "run up and down a ramp" while singing Sweet Caroline and he is awaiting a hip replacement. He's postponed the op until he finishes his Surrounded by Time tour and it's his second new hip in five years. Tom explained: "I have got to have a new hip. I had this one done [left] five years ago and it works great, so now this one is starting to go."
Tom, who does not take painkillers but now has a walking stick, added: "I am all right for four songs and then it starts to hurt and I sit on a stool. I am as dedicated as the Queen. I have got to be steadfast."
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