Tom Jones hits out after he was "fired" from The Voice UK: "I'm not thrilled"

9 September 2026, 11:54

Sir Tom Jones has been nudged off the coaching panel of The Voice UK and he's not best pleased.

Earlier this week rumours swirled in the press that Sir Tom Jones has been axed by The Voice UK, and would be replaced by Cheryl and Aitch in a "major refresh" of the show.

Sir Tom has been a coach for 13 of the 14 years of the show, but now seems to be have been fired from the panel.

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It's been reported that Sir Tom could be involved in the next year of the show in a smaller capacity.

ITV initially told PA: "ITV absolutely loves working with Sir Tom. They are in talks with him and are hopeful he will return to the series."

But the singer has now broken his silence on his impending exit, and sought to set the record straight.

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"To be clear, I did not want to leave The Voice as I love the show and really appreciate the audience," Jones said on Instagram.

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

He continued: "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.

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"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.

"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."

It's not the first time Sir Tom has publicly spoken out about his changing position on the reality contest.

Back when he was axed from the show ahead of it's fifth series in 2016, he complained about his treatment by the executives behind the show.

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"In good faith, as part of the team, I'd put the time in my schedule to be involved in Series 5, as I’ve done so for the last 4 years," he said on Facebook at the time.

"I've supported the show and the BBC since the beginning. I was told yesterday, with no consultation or conversation of any kind, that I would not be returning.

"Having been through plenty of transformations throughout the years, I support and admire creative change. But being informed, as a matter of duty and respect, is an important part of creative relationships. This sub-standard behaviour from the executives is very disappointing."

A year later, the show moved from the BBC to ITV, and Sir Tom found himself back on the panel.