At first glance, it could seem like just another photo of a couple on holiday â two people enjoying life together. But behind the smiles, Tom Jones and Marjorie Wallace shared a complicated story of fame, romance, and heartbreak that few knew at the time.
During the 1960s and â70s, Tom Jones was one of the worldâs biggest stars, notorious for his affairs despite being married to his childhood sweetheart, Linda, for nearly six decades. By his own admission, he slept with hundreds of women a year, yet one romance stood apart â his relationship with Marjorie Wallace.
Wallace made history in 1973 as the first American to be crowned Miss World at just 20 years old. Strikingly beautiful and independent, she quickly became a global name. That same year, she met Jones backstage in London, sparking a whirlwind connection. Their affair soon became public when they were photographed kissing on a beach in Barbados, costing Wallace her Miss World crown.
At the time, she was also engaged to race car driver Peter Revson, who tragically died in a crash months later. Devastated by his death and the end of her relationship with Jones, Wallace suffered a breakdown and overdosed on sleeping pills. She later insisted it was not a suicide attempt, but the episode marked the end of their romance.
Both went on with their lives, but they remained in touch. Now in her seventies, Wallace recalls Jones with warmth, saying theyâve stayed friends. Their story is a reminder that a single photograph can hide layers of love, scandal, and tragedy.
