Sir Tom Jones had his say on The Voice judges including Rita Ora(Image: WireImage)

Sir Tom Jones' brutal take on The Voice co-stars as he slams one star's exit

Music legend Sir Tom Jones has been a judge on The Voice UK since it first launched on the BBC in 2012, but in his 2016 memoir, he didn't hold back when it came to his co-stars

by · DevonLive

Music legend Sir Tom Jones rose to fame in the 1960s and has since enjoyed a career filled with numerous number one hits and sold-out tours. However, in his 2016 memoir Over The Top And Back, the music icon didn't hold back as he revealed his true thoughts about his co-stars on The Voice, even taking a swipe at one as she left the show to join a rival.

After the show first aired in the UK on BBC One in 2012, Sir Tom was joined by fellow stars to judge and mentor those performing in the talent contest. Among them was the highly respected Black Eyed Peas singer, Will.i. am, who Sir Tom described as having "the innocence of a 12-year-old child when he speaks, uses all sorts of expressions of his own, but he speaks with enormous clarity, in fact."

He was equally impressed with Jessie J, another original coach on the show, describing the Bang Bang hitmaker as a 'ballsy kid'.

As the third series approached, part of the original judging panel changed when Danny O'Donoghue left the show to be replaced by Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson. The singer quickly won over the Welshman, who described Ricky as the "fella I'm closest to on the show. Regular guy. No b******t," reports Wales Online.

Sir Tom Jones was joined by Will.i.am, Ricky Wilson and Rita Ora on the fourth series of The Voice(Image: Getty Images)

Kylie Minogue, the star who replaced Jessie J on the judging panel of The Voice, earned words of subtle praise from music icon Sir Tom Jones. Reflecting on her presence, he said: "She has a professional veneer which is there, on camera and off, which it's hard to feel you're getting behind. But it's a really nice professional veneer, she's been at it a long time."

However, Kylie’s tenure was brief as she was quickly succeeded by Rita Ora.

Sir Tom Jones has been a coach on The Voice UK since 2012(Image: ITV)

Although Rita saw eye-to-eye with Sir Tom, she left him in disappointment when she switched to The X Factor just after one season. Despite this decision, Sir Tom noted: "Rita's driven like Jessie, but less hard on herself. She's having fun with it. Although, after one series of stealing both the show and the nation's hearts, she decides to sod off to The X Factor, which is a pity."

Sir Tom, whose fame skyrocketed in the 1960s and spanned over several decades with numerous chart-topping hits, was knighted by the late Queen in 2006 for his contributions to music.