Introduction
A Familiar Face Returns to Stand Beside Tom
Paloma, best known for hits including Only Love Can Hurt Like This and New York, joined The Voice UK as a coach in 2016.
She is now returning in a very different capacity, helping Tom assess the singers who have made it through the Blind Auditions and prepare them for the pressure of the Battles.
At this stage, talent alone may not be enough. Contestants must demonstrate how well they can perform under pressure, respond to advice and stand out when placed directly against another singer from their own team.
With only some acts able to progress, the decisions facing Tom will be particularly difficult.
Paloma’s experience as a former coach means she understands how challenging it can be to choose between two artists who have both worked hard to earn their place.
Her return also creates an opportunity to see a different side of Tom’s coaching — with a fellow singer helping him decide which contestants have the strongest chance of progressing.
Paloma’s Own The Voice Journey Had a Personal Side
Paloma’s return is particularly interesting because her original time on the programme came during a difficult and deeply personal period.
In 2021, she revealed that she had been undergoing her first course of IVF treatment while filming The Voice UK in 2016.
She explained that the hormone treatment had left her feeling “over-sensitive and fragile”, and that the experience contributed to her decision to leave after just one series.
At the time, she had kept the IVF treatment private, including from her management.
The singer subsequently welcomed her first child, daughter Ada, in December 2016.
Her comments offered a glimpse of the pressures she had been navigating away from the cameras, at a time when audiences knew her primarily as a confident and outspoken television personality.
Now, almost a decade after her original appearance, Paloma is returning to the show with the experience of someone who has already faced the difficult balance between a demanding television role and her private life.
Cheryl, Delta Goodrem and McFly’s Other Stars Join the Battles
Paloma is not the only familiar face helping the coaches prepare their teams.
Each coaching team has been paired with a guest mentor who brings a different perspective to the competition.
Girls Aloud star Cheryl will support long-time friend and collaborator will.i.am. Her appearance comes ahead of her planned full-time coaching debut on The Voice UK in 2027.
Kelly Rowland will be joined by Australian singer Delta Goodrem, who previously spent eight seasons as a coach on The Voice Australia.
Meanwhile, McFly bandmates Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd will help Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones, who share a coaching team on this year’s programme.
The group brings a mix of experience from across the music industry, with the mentors helping contestants refine their performances and prepare for the difficult decisions ahead.
The Battles Begin — and Not Everyone Can Stay
The final Blind Auditions aired on October 3, leaving four teams ready to move into the next stage.
The teams each contain eight acts, with Tom Jones, will.i.am and Kelly Rowland mentoring their own groups, while Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones share a combined team.
The opening Battle Rounds episode focuses on Team will.i.am and Team Sir Tom Jones.
For Tom’s team, the planned match-ups include Cate McHugh against Eric & Jensen, Vadé against Amãlia Estradas, Harry Linacre against Robbie McMinn, and Dakari Love against Molly J.
Team will.i.am will see BMG face Naná Aldrin-Quaye, Teodora Sava take on Sonna Rele, Triple Threat compete against Diogo Ferreira, and Ardú go up against Bella Popera.
Each contest creates a difficult choice for the coach and mentor. Two acts may have earned their places through equally impressive auditions, but only the strongest performances will secure a path to the next stage.
The battles are where The Voice UK becomes a more intense competition — not simply about finding a remarkable voice, but deciding which singer is ready to move forward.
The Season Has Become More Poignant for Sir Tom Jones
There is another reason this particular series is attracting attention.
In September, ITV confirmed that Sir Tom Jones would not return as a full-time coach for the 15th series in 2027.
The broadcaster thanked him for his years on the programme and for the many memorable moments he had given to both audiences and contestants.
Tom subsequently made clear that leaving was not his choice. He said he loved the show and appreciated its audience, but that ITV had made the decision.
The next series will feature a refreshed coaching panel, with Cheryl and rapper Aitch joining returning coaches will.i.am and Kelly Rowland.
For viewers who have watched Tom guide singers through the competition since its early days, the current series therefore represents the closing chapter of his latest run as a full-time coach.
That does not mean the programme’s Battle Rounds were designed as a farewell. But knowing what comes next inevitably changes how some of these final appearances may be viewed.
A Different Kind of Return for Paloma
Paloma’s return offers an interesting contrast.
She is coming back to a show she once left after a single series, bringing fresh experience and a different perspective to the role of mentor.
Tom, meanwhile, is continuing with a programme that has formed a significant part of his television career, even as his time as a full-time coach approaches its end.
For the contestants, however, the immediate priority is much simpler: deliver their best performances and convince their coach and guest mentor that they deserve another chance.
With the Battle Rounds beginning on Saturday, the competition is about to become more intense — and the coaches will have to make choices that could determine which singers remain in the running.
For Paloma and Tom, it is a reunion that brings their shared history with The Voice UK back into focus.
And with Tom’s next chapter on the programme already decided, there is an extra layer of significance to seeing him once again at the centre of the action.