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Tom Jones Opens up About His Own Sexual Harassment Ordeal

Sir Tom Jones was sexually harassed at the beginning of his career.

The 77-year-old singer was speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Afternoon Edition radio show when he was asked for his thoughts about the Harvey Weinstein scandal, and the allegations of sexual harassment and abuse made against the disgraced movie mogul.

Revealing that it’s also a major issue in the music industry, Tom went on to recall an incident which happened as he was starting out as a singer.

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“Things have always happened in the music industry as well,” he said. “There’s been people complaining about publicists and different things they’ve been expected to do to get a record contract, just like a film contract.”

Asked if that was something he’d ever experienced, Tom replied: “Yes. At the beginning, yes. There were a few things like that. But you avoid it. You just walk out… But what’s tried on women is tried on men as well.”

Elaborating on the incident, Tom admitted it had made him feel “terrible”.

“But then you think, ‘Well, I’ve got to get away from this person and it can’t be like this’,” he continued. “You should know that yourself, you don’t do things just because you think, ‘I should do this.’ Your own mind will tell you that. Not just in show business, but in any thing you’re in.

“There’s always been that element there that people with power sometimes abuse it, but they don’t all abuse it, there are good people.”

Asked to go into further detail about what had happened to him, Tom answered: “It wasn’t bad, just somebody tried to pull… it was a question and I said ‘No thank you.'”

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Since the New York Times published their expose detailing three decades of abuse allegedly carried out by Weinstein, a host of stars have come forward with their own tales of his reported abuse and harassment.

And The Voice judge Tom is confident that “justice will out” following the claims.

“Things happen in show business, and sometimes things are covered up and then they come to light and other people come forward – it’s like taking the cork off of a bottle,” he mused. “But justice will out. If you’ve done something wrong you’ve got to pay for it, or prove that you haven’t done anything wrong.”

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