The Voice UK Jessie J - H 2012
BBC/YoutubeLONDON – Jessie J will not return as a coach on singing competition show The Voice UK, which airs on the BBC.
“I’ve absolutely loved my time on The Voice and I hope everyone saw and knows how passionately I felt about the show,” the 25-year-old singer tweeted on Friday.
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“However, I can’t wait to promote my new record around the world and that has to take priority,” the only female coach on the BBC show explained. She had previously signaled that she was considering returning to the show for season three, but that she also wanted to ensure that her singing career was a top priority.
Amid weaker ratings for the second season of the show after a strong first season, critics have recently suggested changes to the lineup of coaches. It wasn’t immediately clear if the show producers and BBC had wanted Jessie J to return for the third season.
The BBC didn’t immediately address the future of the three other coaches on the singing competition — will.i.am, Tom Jones and Danny O’Donoghue.
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“I shall be keeping a very close eye on series 3 showing my support in every way I can and really hope that in some way that I can be part of the show,” Jessie J also said on Twitter.
Mark Linsey, controller of entertainment commissioning at the BBC, said: “We’re so sorry to see Jessie go as she’s been an exceptional coach on, and advocate for, The Voice, but we totally support her decision to leave due to touring commitments overseas.”
He expressed hope that she could perform on the next season of the show, adding: “In the meantime we will now start the search for a new coach.”
ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent from and with Simon Cowell beat The Voice UK in the ratings all season. Last year, the BBC newcomer had trumped the ITV talent show for a few weeks.
E-mail: Georg.Szalai@THR.com
Twitter: @georgszalai
