Jones collects £3.1m for gig

Tom Jones was paid a staggering £3.1m (€3.73m) for a charity concert, it has emerged.

The 70-year-old singer received the huge sum for a 90-minute show at the 62nd Red Cross Ball in Monaco on Friday, making him the top earner for a single show, though it is believed he gave a substantial percentage of his fee to charity.

One reveller at the fundraiser – which was held in the ballroom of the exclusive Sporting Club and cost up to €20,000 a table – told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "It was a wonderful evening.

Tom and his band played some of his greatest hits, including ‘It's Not Unusual’, ‘Sex Bomb’, ‘Green, Green Grass of Home’ and ‘Kiss’, and had everyone up on their feet dancing, throwing napkins and flowers at him during the crescendo."

Tom’s fee beats the rumoured £2.6m (€3.13m) offered to Elton John to play for a Russian tycoon last year, Beyonce Knowles’ £1.35m (€1.62m) paycheque for a performance on New Year’s Eve and the £1.7m (€2m) George Michael was paid for a private 75-minute show.

A spokesperson for the event said: "Tom was worth it."

The concert, which was thrown by hotel, casino and restaurant owners in Monte Carlo, made more than £10m (€12m) for the Red Cross, with the money going to help victims of the Haiti earthquake and floods in Tanzania.