ITV remains "hopeful" that Sir Tom Jones will return to The Voice UK for its upcoming series, despite ongoing rumours surrounding his potential exit from the reality show.
The 86-year-old Welsh singer has served as an on-off coach on the popular singing competition since its 2012 debut.
Speculation recently emerged that the star, famed for 1960s classics like “It’s Not Unusual” and “What’s New Pussycat?”, would be "dropped" ahead of the 2027 series, which is due to begin production shortly.
However, a show insider told the Press Association: "ITV absolutely loves working with Sir Tom. They are in talks with him and are hopeful he will return to the series."
Hours later, Jones claimed he’d been fired from the show in a shocking Instagram post, stating: “To be clear, I did not want to leave The Voice as I love the show and really appreciate the audience.”
In the latest series of the show, Sir Tom appeared on the panel alongside McFly stars Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones, US rapper Will.i.am, and Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland.
Throughout his tenure on the programme, he has coached alongside various high-profile artists, including Jessie J, Olly Murs, Kylie Minogue and Rita Ora.
The award-winning musician has also mentored three champions on the show: Leanne Mitchell in series one, Ruti Olajugbagbe in series seven, and Anthonia Edwards in series 11.
Famous for hits including “Delilah” and “She’s A Lady”, Sir Tom has enjoyed a successful music career spanning more than six decades.
He has secured three UK number one singles, four chart-topping albums, a Grammy, two Brits and an Ivor Novello Award, and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006 for his services to music.
The Voice UK moved channels when ITV acquired the rights to it in 2015 after a five-series run on BBC One.
The 76-year-old singer previously acted as a coach for the first four series, winning the first in 2012 with his act Leanne Mitchell.
He left before the fifth series in 2016 and criticised the BBC as having a “sub-standard behaviour” for axing him from the show with just a 24-hour warning.
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