Sir Tom Jones has thanked fans for their support as filming for the new series of his show The Voice continues without him.
The ITV show has been marred in controversy, after it emerged that Tom would not be returning as a coach.
The broadcaster is currently airing Sir Tom’s last series whilst filming began ten days ago for the 2027 season, this time with new judges Cheryl, 43, and Aitch, 25, taking over the red chairs.
Sir Tom, 86, has remained quiet on social media since he hit out at ITV in a furious statement two weeks ago, confirming that he had ‘did not want to leave The Voice’.
As the latest episode of The Voice aired on Saturday, Sir Tom returned to Instagram to share a clip of himself singing his hit It’s Not Unusual on the show whilst cheered on by his fellow judges will.i.am, Kelly Rowland, Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones.
As Sir Tom finished the rendition, Kelly walked over to give him a hug as will.i.am also left his seat to embrace his friend.
Sir Tom Jones has thanked fans for their support as filming for the new series of his show The Voice continues without him
‘It’s Not Unusual…So many heartfelt messages, comments and even petitions of support,’ Sir Tom captioned the emotional clip. ‘It doesn’t go unnoticed and it’s been really lovely to receive these! Thank you!’
Change.org announced in the comments that ‘the petition to reinstate Sir Tom Jones on The Voice now has over 57,000 signatures and thousands of messages of support’.
The singer’s fans and celeb pals flooded the post with support as Kelly ‘liked’ the post alongside Spice Girl Mel C.
The Voice did not fare well in the Saturday night ratings as it’s been revealed that the show lost half a million viewers on last week, with just 1.6 million tuning in.
The latest episode of the show moved to an earlier timeslot to avoid a clash with Strictly Come Dancing’s launch show on the BBC.
Sir Tom has insisted it wasn’t his decision to leave and said ITV ‘fired’ him ‘because of a financial difficulty with insurance’.
In a statement confirming the lineup, ITV bosses thanked Tom for his work on the show, saying: ‘ITV would like to thank the irreplaceable Sir Tom Jones for all his years on The Voice UK, and the countless incredible and unforgettable moments he gave the show.
‘He has brought joy to audiences, and to every singer who performed for him and with him.’
As the latest episode of The Voice aired on Saturday, Sir Tom returned to Instagram to share a clip of himself singing his hit It’s Not Unusual on the show whilst cheered on by the judges
‘It’s Not Unusual…So many heartfelt messages, comments and even petitions of support,’ sir Tom captioned the emotional clip
Fellow coach will.i.am, who will remain on the show alongside Kelly Rowland, has vented his fury over Tom’s being dropped from the show, with sources claiming he’s made his feelings known backstage.
Sources have revealed that despite Cheryl and Aitch being welcomed as new additions to the lineup, any excitement on set has been replaced by awkwardness over the row.
A source said that while they normally kick filming off with welcome drinks in a swanky five-star hotel, this year things are different.
‘It’s seriously awkward as will.i.am is furious with how producers have handled things and is making his feelings known behind the scenes.’
They told The Sun: ‘It’s pretty uncomfortable for Cheryl, who is close with Will and has looked up to Kelly all her career.
‘This is her big TV comeback and right now ITV are letting her be the fall guy for taking Sir Tom’s seat. None of this is her fault, it’s been handled atrociously by the bosses.’
The Daily Mail has contacted will.i.am and ITV representatives for comment.
Taking to Instagram on September 8, just three days before the new lineup was unveiled, Sir Tom wrote in his statement: ‘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 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.’
He added that ITV had offered him ‘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.’
When contacted by the Daily Mail, an ITV spokesman said: ‘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.’
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