Sir Tom Jones says his late wife "would like" the fact he has returned to ‘The Voice UK’.
The 76-year-old singer had been a judge on the singing competition since 2012 before he was axed in 2015, and thinks his late wife Linda – who passed away in April last year after suffering with cancer – would be pleased he is on board to return to the show when it airs this weekend.
He told the Radio Times magazine: "When my wife heard I wasn’t doing it, she said, ‘So, you don’t want to do The Voice any more?’
"I said, ‘It’s not my decision’. She said, ‘You must be joking!’ God bless her, she passed away before I was asked to come back. She would like the fact that I’m doing the show now."
Previously, the ‘What’s New Pussycat?’ hitmaker admitted he wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to sing again after the passing of his wife – who was simply known as Linda – but said he was glad he decided to pick up the microphone.
He said: "She passed away from lung cancer and it was very quick. By the time they found it, she only had less than two weeks. So that hit me hard, and it still has. I didn’t know whether I would be able to sing after that. But now I realise that singing is saving my life, once I started again."
The ‘It’s Not Unusual’ singer also struggled to perform his cover of Lonnie Johnson’s ‘Tomorrow Night’, as it was one of Linda’s favourites. However, the star said he pictures his childhood sweetheart – whom he was married to for 59 years – whenever he sings it, and now he says it is a "joy" to perform.
He said: "It means more to me now than when I actually recorded it, since she’s passed away, because of how much she thought of it, because of how much she loved it. And the words in it are very meaningful. But to do it is a joy to me now. Because I’m seeing her. I’m remembering her when I sing it."
‘The Voice UK’ starts on Saturday (07.01.17) on its new home on UK TV station ITV.
Sir Tom Jones: My late wife ‘would like’ me returning to The Voice UK
