Sir Tom Jones says he didn’t want to leave ITV’s The Voice

Sir Tom Jones has said he did not want to leave The Voice, saying he “loves the show” and ITV made the decision to “fire” him from the judging panel.

The Welsh singer, 86, has appeared as an on-off coach on the singing competition since it premiered in 2012.

Following rumours that he may not return to the panel for the upcoming series, Sir Tom said the broadcaster decided a while ago and “I was told recently”.

ITV has been asked to comment, but the Press Association reported that a source at the show was “hopeful” the singer would return for its upcoming series.

In a social media post, the star 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.

“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.”

The programme’s 2027 series was due to begin production soon.

The Press Association reported that a show insider said: “ITV absolutely loves working with Sir Tom.

“They are in talks with him and are hopeful he will return to the series.”

In the most recent series of The Voice UK Sir Tom features as a coach alongside McFly stars Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones, as well as US rapper Will.i.am and Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland.

Sir Tom has featured alongside many coaches during his tenure on the show, including singers Jessie J, Olly Murs, Kylie Minogue and Rita Ora.

He has also mentored three winners on the programme: Leanne Mitchell in series one, Ruti Olajugbagbe in series seven and Anthonia Edwards in series 11.