Tom Jones reveals he 'didn't want to leave' The Voice and says he was blindsided over 'financial difficulty'
The Welsh singing legend will no longer be appearing on the show as a singing coach amid a huge shake-up by bosses who wanted to 'refresh the show'
Sir Tom Jones has revealed that he did not want to leave The Voice, claiming he "loves the show", and that the decision to “fire” him from the judging panel was made by ITV.
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This followed rumours that Sir Tom Jones had quit The Voice UK after over a decade on the talent show.
Sir Tom shared that the broadcaster had made the decision a while ago and said: "I was told recently".
In a post shared to social media, the Welsh legend said: "The reason given is because of a 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 being actually involved from the start, and I'm not thrilled about that.
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"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, 86, has been a key component of the show since it first launched in 2012, starring as a full-time member of the panel for 13 of its 14 seasons.
However, reports have emerged suggesting that Sir Tom has been dropped ahead of season 15, which will begin production this month.
The new season will feature Cheryl and Aitch, alongside Will.I.Am and Kelly Rowland as coaches.
According to an insider, “Everyone loves Sir Tom, but there was a feeling that the upcoming series needed a major refresh.”
“With Aitch and Cheryl coming on board and Kelly returning with Will.I.Am, there just wasn’t a seat going."
“Everyone is sad to see Tom go. Right now, talks are ongoing about how he can be involved in the series in a smaller capacity," they told the Sun.
"Sir Tom adores the show and finding new talent and still wanted to be involved.”
The rumours are yet to be addressed by Sir Tom publicly, and the show’s bosses have yet to speak out about the changes.
A source close to the show told the Mirror: “ITV absolutely loves working with Sir Tom. They are in talks with him and are hopeful he will return to the series.”
The music legend became a household name in the 1960s with his hit songs It’s Not Unusual, What’s New Pussycat? Delilah and She’s a Lady.
In 2012, he joined The Voice UK alongside Black Eyed Peas’ Will.I.Am, Jessie J and Danny O’Donoghue.
Sir Tom quickly became a fan favourite and even stayed on when the show switched from BBC to ITV.
Many fans were shocked when he didn’t appear on the show in its fifth series, starring Paloma Faith and Boy George – but were relieved when he returned the following year.
In his 2016 memoir, Sir Tom revealed he too was shocked by his temporary axeing from the show.
“To say I was shocked is to put it mildly,” he confessed. "But my shock wasn't about the fact they had replaced me. My shock was about the way they did it."
He acknowledged that "nobody has the right to think of themselves as a permanent fixture", and shared that his team informed him that he was simply “out of contract”.