Sir Tom Jones has angrily claimed that ITV has “fired” him as a fixed coach on The Voice despite his desire to remain a part of the singing competition.
The Welsh star has served as a coach on the popular series since its 2012 premiere, but it was claimed this week that the singer of 1960s classics “It’s Not Unusual” and “What’s New Pussycat?” had been let go in a bid to “refresh” the show.
Jones has now confirmed the news, writing on Instagram: “To be clear, I did not want to leave The Voice as I love the show and really appreciate the audience.”
He said that ITV made the decision “a while ago” based on “financial difficulty with insurance”, and that he “was just told recently”.
The singer claimed that producers offered him “a much-reduced role where I would make an appearance but without being actually involved from the start”.
“I'm not thrilled about that,” he continued. “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."
A spokesperson for the show told The Independent: "We have loved working with Sir Tom Jones over the past nine years on The Voice UK. While he will no longer be a full-time coach on series 15, we continue to talk to Sir Tom and his team about his involvement in the next series."
In the latest series of the show, Jones 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”, Jones 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 for “sub-standard behaviour”, having been axed from the show with just a 24-hour warning. He rejoined the series following the move to ITV.
