We often look at the past as being the ‘good old days’ but when you look closely, you will see that it had its flaws as well. This included a scandal that was very well-known about half a century ago.
Tom Jones is somebody who is still well-known these days, as he is still popular for his singing and his work as a judge on a popular talent show. When he was at his peak back in the 60s and 70s, however, he was a heartthrob with a wild lifestyle.
During those days, Tom was known as being a sex symbol and he admitted that in one year at the height of his career, he slept with 250 women. There were many high-profile women included in that list, including Mary Wilson of the Supremes.
During the time that he was living out his fantasies in this way, he also had a devoted wife at home. Linda was married to him for 59 years before she passed away in 2016 from lung cancer. According to biographer Sean Smith, “From the very beginning, he was not exactly Mr Faithful.” Judging by the numbers, that seems to be an understatement.
Nobody knows how much Linda was aware of his extracurricular activities, but she likely suspected that something was going on. According to Sir Tom, they had a ‘don’t ask’ policy between them while he was touring. There were many notorious affairs that took place during his day, but one particular romance stood out. That romance was with Marjorie Wallace.
Marjorie Wallace was born in 1954 and she was a well-known individual in history. She was a model, television host, actress, and beauty queen. When she was 14, her parents divorced and she became a rebellious teenager. She headed for Miami, a 1200 mile trip, taking a friend along and showing that she was ready to strike out on her own.
She also lived her teenage years like many others, going to high school dances and other activities, and being a competitive cheerleader and swimmer. As Marjorie got older, she also became interested in relationships. She moved into a guitarist at the age of 17 who was part of the rock band, Pure Funk. In 1973, she then became the first American woman to be crowned Miss World.
The title of Miss World was more than just wearing a crown and a sash. It would end up bringing her in with many well-known figures, including Tom Jones. Marjorie met Tom Jones when she was only 19 years old. It was in his dressing room at the London Palladium before he went out on stage. His publicist said that he was immediately smitten and they later went to the Westbury hotel together.
Tom purchased two bracelets the next month, one for Marjorie and one for Linda because they had birthdays that were very close to each other’s. It was fairly common for Tom to be with different women, but Marjorie was different.
The saga continued in 1974 when both Marjorie and Tom flew to Barbados for a television show about This World. The PDA of them kissing on the beach, however, ended up costing her her crown. They both denied being in love. Miss World organizers had a problem with Marjorie being with Tom because she was already dating Peter Revson, an American Indianapolis 500 driver. It was said that she was also engaged with him. During the time that she was engaged to Revson, she was carrying on an affair with Tom Jones. The founder of This World was not happy, and it wasn’t long after that Remsen died in a car crash during a practice run.
This was a very difficult thing for Marjorie but when Tom realized that Linda was about to learn of the affair, he broke things off with her as well. Marjorie overdosed on sleeping pills. According to a hospital spokesman, nobody knows how many pills he had taken but she was put on kidney dialysis to clear the drugs from her system. This was the end of a noteworthy time in her life. According to Marjorie’s agent, she had been working too hard and had too many challenges in her life. He said: “Finally, it all came down and hit her on top of the head and knocked her down.”
Marjorie was able to get beyond the overdose and even said it wasn’t an attempted suicide. Her mother said that she may have felt that she couldn’t go on. Wallace admitted that she was depressed and took too many sleeping pills. When Marjorie was in the hospital in Indianapolis, Tom Jones sent flowers. He was in Las Vegas at the time performing at Caesar’s Palace Hotel. He heard about the incident on the radio and according to reports, it hit him hard. Marjorie is now 71 and she has stepped outside of the limelight. She has appeared in some commercials for American Express and other well-known brands but has moved on with her life.
She got married to a film producer in 1978 and they had a son together. She went on to co-anchor Entertainment Tonight but turned down the reporter position on the show. In 1982, she divorced but was remarried again in 1994 and divorced again in 1996. According to reports, Tom has kept in contact with her for all of these years. They even spoke about his role as a judge on The Voice.
Marjorie said: “He is very happy to be doing it, and I told him if it’s as good as the American version, it will be a huge hit. We stayed friends and we’re often in touch. I wouldn’t want to rehash our relationship as it was so long ago, and I have no interest in doing that. But it’s great to speak to him on the telephone once in a while. I always follow his career and am really pleased he is going to be coaching up-and-coming singers. He has such a beautiful voice.”