Highlights:
- Sir Tom Jones says ITV fired him from The Voice UK, ending an association with the show that's run on and off since its 2012 launch.
- In a statement posted to social media, Jones said the reason given was "a financial difficulty with insurance," and that a new coaching line-up left no chair for him.
- ITV has reportedly lined up Aitch and Cheryl Tweedy as new coaches, alongside returning names Kelly Rowland and will.i.am, as part of a wider panel refresh.
Tom Jones didn't find out from ITV directly, or at least not in a way he felt was clear enough. The 86-year-old singer has revealed he's been fired from The Voice UK, in a statement that made plain he wasn't the one who chose to go.
What did Tom Jones actually say?
He was direct about it. "I did not want to leave The Voice," Jones wrote, insisting the decision was ITV's alone, made some time ago and only communicated to him recently. He said the reason given was an insurance issue, before ITV's own public framing shifted to wanting a "refresh" of the coaching panel, one that left no seat for him. He was offered a smaller role instead, appearing occasionally rather than coaching from the start of the series, an offer he said he wasn't thrilled about. He closed his statement with a pointed observation about his age, essentially noting that there's simply no good moment to let go of someone in his late eighties who's still doing the job well.
Has this exact justification been used before?
It has, and not that long ago. Back during the show's 13th series, singer Anne-Marie was dropped from the coaching panel with producers giving an almost identical reason at the time, that they wanted to "refresh the show." Jones himself has already survived one earlier axing, missing an entire series years ago when Boy George took his chair, before returning the following year. This time, at 86, he's the one on the outside of the refresh.
| What's changing on The Voice UK | |
|---|---|
| Jones's status | Says he was fired; offered a reduced, occasional role instead |
| Reason given | Insurance difficulty, then a "refresh" of the coaching line-up |
| New coaches reportedly joining | Aitch, Cheryl Tweedy |
| Returning coaches | Kelly Rowland, will.i.am |
| Exiting alongside Jones | Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher (McFly), reportedly stepping away |
| Jones's history on the show | On the panel on and off since the 2012 launch |
