LONDON • Singer Tom Jones said he and Priscilla Presley, the ex-wife of Elvis Presley, "have been friends for a long time".

His comment came in a report in The Sun on Wednesday, which cited a source as saying the two are in an early relationship and are "courting".

"She's a lovely lady. We do enjoy our nights out together," said Jones, 76, after he and actress Presley were seen arriving for dinner together in a Rolls-Royce at a Hollywood restaurant last month.

His spokesman also said the couple "have known each other for many, many years".

Friends say Presley, 71, has put a smile back on Jones' face after the death of his wife Linda, 75, from cancer last April.