Sir Tom Jones has a reputation as a ‘sex bomb’ – but his devotion to his wife Linda has always held strong. And theirs is an enduring love story – with Tom falling in love with Linda when he was just eight years old. He persuedthe love of his life for years – finally getting her to agree to date him when she was 15 and he 16. They married the following year, in March 1957, when they were expecting a child together.
The couple’s son, Mark, was born in the month following their wedding.
To support his young family, Jones took a job working in a glove factory and was later employed in construction – well before he became a household name.
Who is Mark Woodward?
Mark, who was born on April 11, 1957, is the only child of Tom Jones and his late wife Linda.
He became his father’s manager after Gordon Mills passed in 1986.
He is married to Donna Woodward – who is also Tom’s manager and the pair have two children; Alex Woodward (born 1983) who was a full bore rifle shooter (represented Wales in the Commonwealth Games) and Emma Woodward (born 1987).
Who is Tom Jones OTHER son?
Jonathan Berkery is the 30-year-old love child of Tom Jones and Katherine Berkery.
She was only 24 nwhen she became pregnant after a three-day fling with Sir Tom when he was 47
Jon was born in June 1988 but has never met the famous singer as Sir Tom has always refused to acknowledge his existence.
Sir Tom has revealed he has no interest in starting a relationship with his estranged son.
A DNA test in 1989 revealed Sir Tom was the father and he agreed to hand over £1,700 a month in child support until his 18th birthday.
But Mr Berkery told the Mail he has never received a phone call or birthday card from Sir Tom.
The 30-year-old turned to drink and drugs and has been homeless for several years and has attributed this to being abandoned by Sir Tom.
He said: “I was very angry. My anger boiled over in school – I fought every kid and rebelled constantly.
“I lost count of the times I changed schools. I needed a father figure. I leaned towards older bad guys.
“Sometimes I wanted to meet my father, sometimes I didn’t. It’s the same now – I am totally conflicted.”
After Sir Tom came down with a bacterial infection the lovechild made a desperate appeal to his father to see him.
He told the Sunday Mirror: “He’s not well, I think he’s pushing himself too much.
“I reached out to his son Mark, my half brother, last year to see if I could arrange a meeting.
“Now I refuse to wait – I want to see my dad and make my peace with him.
“When I was younger, I was angry and confused. I didn’t want to see him. But now I worry about him constantly.
“When his wife Linda passed I hoped we could finally meet and get to know each other but it didn’t happen.
“Now I worry about him being ill. He’s old, he might pass before I get the chance to right the wrongs. I don’t want anything from my father, all I was to do is sit and talk, tell him about my life and ask about his – just normal stuff.”
Mr Berkery said he fantasises about appearing on The Voice, which continues on Saturday night.
He said: “I like to imagine that I am on the show singing, he swivels around in his big chair, realises I am his son and I just make a rude gesture at him with my middle finger.”