They were the courtly sex gods of the Sixties, their hip-swinging routines and enormous sideburns making teenage girls swoon – especially when the former label mates shared the stage together.
But these days it’s not uncommon to see singers Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck engaged in a heated war of words – 60 years after they had their first hits.
Six months ago, Humperdinck, best known for his 1967 No. 1 hit, Release Me, said of Jones in an interview: “I think he’s lost his voice. I don’t think he’s got it anymore.”
Welsh heartthrob Jones, best known for his 1960s songs Delilah and She’s A Lady and his 1999 hit Sex Bomb, has now responded to his former rival Humperdinck in a sensational way, calling him a ‘p****’, he told The Mail on Sunday.
Jones, who was knighted in 2006 and returns to ITV next Saturday as a coach on talent show The Voice, insisted he has no plans to make amends.
He said, ‘There’s nothing friendly between him and me. He’s a ****, quote me on that. We broke up years ago. He’s tried, but I don’t want to talk to him.’
Welsh heartthrob Tom Jones (pictured), known for his 1960s songs Delilah and She’s A Lady, and his 1999 hit Sex Bomb, has responded in sensational style to his former chart rival
Six months ago, Humperdinck (pictured in 1969), best known for his 1967 No. 1 hit, Release Me, said of Jones in an interview: ‘I think he’s lost his voice. I don’t think he’s got it anymore’
The two men began their careers in the 1960s, when they signed with the prestigious Decca Records. Jones joined first in 1963, and Humperdinck – then known as Gerry Dorsey – arrived two years later.
Chart rivalries soon led to jealousy, and the pair began to drift apart. Although the origins of their feud have never been fully explained, one of Jones’ former girlfriends claimed that Humperdinck flirted with her in 1979. She explained that when she told Jones about the other singer’s advances, he simply “sat in stony silence.”
And in 2015, Jones told Metro: ‘Once a c***, always a c***.’
The two have not spoken for more than 40 years, although Humperdinck claims he tried to express his condolences after Jones’ wife Linda died in 2016.
This year, Jones will be on his 12th season of The Voice, and while he won’t be singing, he still wants to protect his voice and prevent it from aging. He does this by sleeping with tape over his mouth.
And he has revealed that he influenced the rest of the Voice judges to do it, saying: ‘I’m in good health, you should do it. I sleep on my side, but I tape my mouth shut.
“I got a dry throat so I saw this would help. I used one on my nose for years to open up my airways.
‘Now that I’m older, I don’t have to look good in bed anymore. But sometimes I get up to go to the bathroom and scare myself silly.’
Jones, who was knighted in 2006 and returns to ITV next Saturday as a coach on talent show The Voice, insisted he has no plans to make amends
Although the origins of their feud have never been fully clarified, one of Jones’ former girlfriends claimed that Humperdinck flirted with her in 1979
Jones also revealed that his good friend Olly Murs was “really upset” that he was no longer on the show, after being axed after six years.
Murs admitted at the time that his departure had not been amicable. It was believed that the decision had been taken by producers who wanted to attract a younger audience by appointing new judges.
Jones said: ‘We’ve both been on tour, but when it happened we talked a lot. 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 child, so his life has changed. But it definitely bothered him.”