Tom Jones denies Priscilla Presley dating rumors

Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Tom Jones says he's not dating longtime friend Priscilla Presley.

The 76-year-old Welsh singer's rep denied in a statement to People on Thursday that Jones is romantically involved with the 71-year-old American actress and ex-wife of Elvis Presley.

"Priscilla Presley and Tom have known each other for many, many years," the spokesperson said. "They are part of a wider social group that occasionally meet up for an evening out. There is no more to the story than that."

Jones and Presley sparked romance rumors in January after they were spotted at dinner at Craig's restaurant in Los Angeles. The singer played coy at the time about the nature of his relationship with Presley.

"We have been friends for a long time. She's a lovely lady. We do enjoy our nights together," he told The Sun.

The "She's a Lady" singer was married for 59 years to Melinda Rose Woodward, who died in April after a battle with cancer. Presley, meanwhile, was wed to late rock and roll icon Elvis Presley from 1967 to 1973.

"I just kind of followed what he did. I mean, you lived his life. You honestly didn't have your own life," she said of the marriage on Loose Women in November.

"You really kind of lost yourself," the actress admitted. "It was lonely in that I didn't have any information on what was going on with my age group. I didn't really know what was going on in the scene."

Tom Jones last released the album Long Lost Suitcase in 2015, and presently serves as a judge on The Voice U.K. Presley will executive produce a new HBO documentary about Elvis Presley slated to premiere in 2018.