'I Don't Feel Anywhere Near 78!

As Sir Tom Jones nears his 78th birthday, the legendary singer tells us why he’s far from slowing down...

- Hayley Minn

Sir Tom Jones burst onto the music scene in 1965, aged just 24, with the smash hit It’s Not Unusual. Now, 53 years later, having released music in every decade since, he shows no signs of stopping.

‘I feel great, I don’t feel anywhere near my age,’ he tells us. ‘I’m going to be 78 in June! I don’t feel like that, and that’s the truth. When I look in the mirror, I think, “Who’s that old man?” I catch myself by surprise sometimes. I go to the bathroom in the night and put the light on, and I’m shocked.’

Tom claims it’s the music that keeps him young – as well as a recent hip replacement that’s given him a new lease of life! ‘When you can do it and you don’t feel the strain of it, when you can still get up and sing… I don’t know any other profession where a 77-year-old could still do as well as they ever did,’ he says. ‘It’s the most fun you can have and it keeps you young.’

Having performed to screaming fans for so many years, it would be easy to assume that Tom doesn’t get nervous anymore, but he insists that’s far from the truth.