Culture

Sir Tom Jones says he ‘did not want to leave The Voice’ after ITV announces his departure

08 Sep 2026 3 minute read

Amelia Jones

Sir Tom Jones says he is “not thrilled” about being offered a reduced role on The Voice UK, after ITV announced he was being dropped from the show.

Yesterday, a source from ITV told The Sun that Sir Tom Jones had been dropped from The Voice UK as the show takes a fresh new direction.

However, in a statement released on social media today, Jones said he had been given a different reason for his departure.

He said: “To be clear, I did not want to leave The Voice as I love the show and really appreciate the audience.

“ITV made this decision – obviously a while ago, and I was told just recently. The reason they have given is because of financial difficulty with insurance.

“They now say in the press they wanted to ‘refresh’ the show, and with a new coaching line-up there wouldn’t be a chair for me.

“They are offering a much-reduced role where I would make an appearance but without actually being involved from the start, and I’m not thrilled about that.

“So the only thing I know right now, is that there’s never a good time to fire an 86-year-old who’s still pretty good at his job.”

Jones was one of the original coaches when The Voice UK launched in 2012, alongside will.i.am, Jessie J and Danny O’Donoghue. He remained on the BBC show for its first four series before being replaced by Boy George in 2016. He returned to the red chair in 2017 when the programme moved to ITV and has remained a coach ever since.

The Welsh star eventually made his comeback to the red chair in 2017 and has remained part of the coaching line-up since.

A source told The Sun that the show is undergoing a refresh, they said: “Everyone loves Sir Tom but there was a feeling that the upcoming series needed a major refresh.”

The new panel is said to feature former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl and rapper Aitch alongside will.i.am and Kelly Rowland.

Aitch’s appointment follows reports from July that he would be stepping in for McFly duo Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones, who will also depart the programme.

Despite his removal from the main panel, discussions are continuing about how Sir Tom might still contribute to the programme in another role.

The news comes shortly after a video of Jones singing ‘Tower of Song’ on the show went viral, after his fellow judges were brought to tears by the performance.

The emotional exchange prompted another tribute from will.i.am, who praised the experience of working alongside Jones and described it as “such a blessing”.

In reaction to the post, will.i.am responded with crying emojis. Previous judge Olly Murs also commented on the post, saying: “Love ya TJ. I know how much that show means to you mate. Absolute legend and one of the very best to ever sit in that chair.”

You can view the social media post here.

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