{UAH} DNA test to see if my ancestors are black, says Tom Jones
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I am having a DNA test to see if my ancestors are black, says Sir Tom after being told he is 'just passing as white'
- Singer Tom Jones is often mistaken as black because of his hair's texture
- 75-year-old made the comments in an interview and said he'd get a test
- Born to a traditional coal-mining family with English and Welsh ancestry
- Revealed his mother had dark patches on her body when she was born
Published: 23:25 GMT, 1 November 2015 | Updated: 00:59 GMT, 2 November 2015
Sir Tom Jones has revealed that he wants to have his DNA tested to discover if he does really have black ancestry
Throughout his career his hair – thick, curly and (once) black – and his baritone voice have led some to believe he is black.
Now Sir Tom Jones has revealed that he wants to have his DNA tested to discover if he does really have black ancestry.
The singer, who has transformed himself from penniless miner's son from the Valleys into a £190million music star through records including Delilah and It's Not Unusual, stopped dyeing his hair several years ago but is still mistaken for being black because of its texture.
In an interview at the weekend Sir Tom, now 75, said he is often told he is 'just passing as white' and as a result he has decided to 'get my DNA tested. I want to find out'.
He added: 'A lot of people still think I'm black. When I first came to America, people who had heard me sing on the radio would be surprised that I was white when they saw me. Because of my hair a lot of black people still tell me I'm just passing as white.'
Sir Tom was born Thomas Jones Woodward in Pontypridd, South Wales, to a traditional coal-mining family – his mother Freda was of Welsh and English ancestry and his father was of English descent.
Recalling an incident shortly after he was born Sir Tom, who is known to tan easily, told The Times magazine: 'My mother came out in big dark patches all over her body. They asked if she had any black blood and she said she didn't know.'
Private genetic tests of the sort that Sir Tom might choose have become big business in recent years. Many companies claim they can identify whether people are related to famous historical figures such as Napoleon or Cleopatra, or have DNA from specific racial groups.
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The tests cost £30 and £300 and are said to look at the ancestral lineages that contribute to the make-up of an individual's DNA.
Each of us inherits around six billion letters of DNA from our parents, three billion from each. Made up from four biochemicals – adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine – our genes are read by scientists like long strings of letters, sequences of A, C, G and T.
Sir Tom was born Thomas Jones Woodward in Pontypridd, South Wales, to a traditional coal-mining family – his mother Freda (pictured with Sir Tom) was of Welsh and English ancestry
His father Tom, who he is pictured talking to on the set of a show in 1969, is of English descent
Tom takes his wife Linda to the doctors office in Beverly Hills, California, earlier this month
DNA experts claim they can analyse this data to determine what percentage of your DNA comes from different regions around the world and where you appear on global and continental genetic maps.
They also claim they can determine how much of a person's DNA is, for example, African, Jewish or Native American.
However, the Sense About Science campaign group has said 'such histories are either so general as to be personally meaningless or they are just speculation from thin evidence'.
Private genetic tests of the sort that Sir Tom might choose have become big business in recent years
The singer stopped dyeing his hair several years ago but is still mistaken for being black because of its texture
And Steve Jones, emeritus professor of human genetics at University College London, said: 'On a long trudge through history – two parents, four great-grandparents, and so on – very soon everyone runs out of ancestors and has to share them.
' As a result, almost every Briton is a descendant of Viking hordes, Roman legions, African migrants, Indian Brahmins, or anyone else they fancy.'
Last month Sir Tom endured a backlash after claiming that his wife Linda, his childhood sweetheart, had 'lost her spark'. She has remained by his side despite him once confessing he has slept with hundreds of women.
The Welsh singer is pictured performing on stage at the first of a series of 'Route of Kings' concerts in London's Hyde Park in July 2001
In his latest interview he said he has always respected women and does not swear in front of them even if they use foul language.
He added: 'I think you should open doors for them and offer them your seat. I know a lot of women who say you don't need to do this for us. But I feel better when I do.
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