Mark Woodward: Who is Tom Jones’ lookalike son?
With a father as famous as Tom Jones, it must be hard to stay out of the spotlight. Here is everything we know about Mark Woodward.
Mark Woodward early life:
Mark was born when his parents were very young.
In March 1957, Mark’s father Tom Jones (then Thomas Jones Woodward) married his high school girlfriend Linda Trenchard.
At the time they were expecting a baby, both at just 16-years-old.
Mark was born in the month following their wedding, meaning Tom and Mark were very close in age.
In the early days, the family was living a humble life, with Tom working in a glove factory.
However, things soon changed for young Mark when his father’s voice got noticed.
Tom became the frontman for Welsh beat groupTommy Scott and the Senators in 1963.
Not much time passed before Tom was noticed by Gordon Mills, who then became his manager.
Mills whisked the young singer away to London, and Tom Jones as we know him today was born.
Mark Woodward and Tom Jones relationship:
Tom has often cited Mark as a huge inspiration in his career, with his son helping him recover from the death of his first manager Gordon Mills.
On BBC Radio 1, Sir Tom said they were “more like brothers” than father and son, after fans often commented on how similar the pair look.
Mark even followed his father into Showbiz and went on to become Tom Jones’ manager in 1986.
He knew exactly what was needed for his father’s image, and his first move was to make Tom appear more relatable to all music fans as an entertainer.
Mark made sure his father refrained from coming across like a singer purely for wealthy tuxedo-wearing customers, to prevent him being typecast.
Tome Jones fans will know this is something that the Sexbomb singer hated.
Sir Tom said of his son: “He knows what I can do. He knows what is in my heart.”
It’s true, Mark succeeded in returning his father to a hitmaker within just two years!
Over the next three decades, Mark, now 65, continually reinvented his father, getting him to record better songs, with better producers, and often doing high-profile collabs.
Speaking of his son, Sir Tom said: “We have a very special relationship, me and Mark.
“I’m grateful he’s done so much for my career, of course, but I’m also gratified as a parent that he is doing something that clearly makes him so happy.
“He’s not just good at his job, you know. He loves it.”
More than he bargained for:
Fans who know about Tom Jones’ womanising ways may wonder how this didn’t cause tension with his son.
He was in no way faithful to Mark’s mother, and admitted to sleeping 250 women a year at the height of his fame.
However, some sources suggest Mark was well aware of this.
He may have even played a role in the infidelities.
One woman who Tom Jones is accused of having a three year affair with, Charlotte Laws, claims the singer used his son to help him arrange sessions with his lovers.
Charlotte Laws told the MailOnline: “I met Tom’s mum, dad, sister and, of course, Mark. Tom told me his mother knew about his girlfriends and Mark was sharing a suite with his father the night we were first intimate. It was Mark who helped set up our dates.”
Tom was open about his relationships outside of marriage with more than just his family… he told the world.
She added: “There was nothing secretive about our relationship. We walked into a disco one night and a man shouted: ‘Is that your wife?’ and Tom said ‘No’. Then the guy yelled ‘Is that your woman?’ and he smiled and said ‘Yes.’”
Fatherhood:
Mark Woodward went on to marry himself.
He now has two children, Alex, age 39, and Emma, age 35.
Alex once represented Wales in the Commonwealth Games as a full bore rifle shooter.
Not much is known about Mark and Tom’s relationships with Alex and Emma, but they have posed for family photos over the years appearing very close and happy.
Half-brother:
Fans may know that Mark has a half- brother Joathan, who it now 33.
However, it is unknown if the two have ever met.
Jonathan was conceived as result of a three-day fling Tom Jones had with model Katherine Berkery.
Sadly, Tom and Jonathan Berkery are not believed to have ever met in person.
Jonathan said he grew up hoping his dad would reach out, and had fallen on hard times as a result of the rejection.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Jonathan said he had become homeless for several years.
Moving back to the UK:
After living in LA for several years, Mark is now back in the UK after the death of his mother Melinda.
Tom discussed his decision to move back to the homeland with Mark with the Mirror in 2018: “Linda wanted to come back to Britain, she was always homesick.
“Then she got sick, and we couldn’t do it. She told me to go back the last week she was alive.”