Sir Tom Jones says being axed from The Voice on BBC was 'a kick in the b******s'

The veteran singer returns to the ITV version of the show on 7 January

Ahead of his return to The Voice UK this weekend, Sir Tom Jones has made it clear that he is still pretty mad at the BBC for dumping him from the show in 2015.

The veteran singer, who had been part of the reality TV show since its launch in 2012, claimed at the time that he had been informed of the line-up change just 24 hours before the official announcement.

The news prompted outrage from fans of Jones and the show itself, who took to social media to ask why he had been axed.

Speaking to Radio Times magazine this week, he said he was "pissed off" and "never got to the bottom of who made the decision".

"When I used to work in factories or on a building site, you'd get a week's notice at least," he continued. "...You don't make a decision like that overnight. The decision was made earlier but they just didn't let me know."

Jones admitted that he couldn't help but laugh when the BBC1 show's ratings began to suffer, and said that he was happy to be back in his red chair on ITV, particularly because it would have meant a lot to his late wife, Linda.

He will be judging alongside Jennifer Hudson, Gavin Rossdale and will.i.am.

The Voice UK airs on ITV at 8pm on Saturday 7 January