The Script’s Danny O’Donoghue has opened up about an intense drinking session with Tom Jones that landed him in hospital.
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The time took place when he and Sir Tom were part of the original judging line-up on the UK version of The Voice back in 2012 – complete with Jessie J and Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am.
According to the frontman, there was one night where he went out with the Welsh rock legend for the night, but soon found himself unable to keep up with the ‘She’s A Lady’ singer – despite being 40 years younger than him.
“It was after one show on The Voice and we were in the Lowry [hotel] up in Manchester and we went drinking that night,” O’Donoghue recalled during an interview with BBC Radio Wales (via BBC News). “He was telling me all these stories about Elvis and the Rat Pack and every time the champagne got to, like, a certain level, he’d be clicking [his fingers] to get another bottle of champagne.
“And he said you can’t leave the table until the champagne is done. And it just wouldn’t stop!”
He went on to recall how his determination to keep up with Sir Tom ultimately led to him heading to the hospital, as his heart “flipped into a different rhythm”.
“We’re probably there six hours or something, from 12 o’clock to six in the morning. And I just remember thinking, ‘What’s all the clinking going on’ and they were putting out the things for breakfast in the morning.”
Sir Tom Jones, Jessie J, Will.i.am and Danny O’Donoghue attend a photocall to launch the second series of ‘The Voice’, 2013. (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage/Getty Images)
It was the next morning, he said, that he noticed something was wrong. “I didn’t know what was going on so I went to the hospital – and I got atrial fibrillation from drinking nothing but champagne for six hours,” he told the outlet. He also added that he was forced to miss “one or two days of filming” for The Voice due to the night.
“It was my fault because I should have stopped drinking very early,” he concluded, going on to share his admiration for the singer. “I don’t mean to age him but he’s from the same era as my dad, but he’s a man’s man, grew up in the coal mines, loves songs, loved drinking.
“What an amazing career that guy’s had… And like all Welsh people they’re so down to earth, it’s easy to forget how big and how legendary Tom is but he makes you feel that way himself, but I really, really loved my time with him.”
In other Script news, last August the Irish group released their new single ‘Both Ways’ – which is taken from their upcoming LP ‘Satellites’.
The album is set for release in August, and follows on from the death of the band’s co-founder and guitarist, Mark Sheehan last April, following a brief illness.
As for Tom Jones, the Welsh crooner has been announced for multiple live appearances throughout 2024, including this year’s edition of Byron Bay festival Bluesfest and next month’s Plymouth Summer Sessions.
The post The Script’s Danny O’Donoghue says Tom Jones drinking session left him in hospital: “My heart had flipped into a different rhythm” appeared first on NME.
