Following his devastating axe from The Voice, Olly Murs has scored an interesting job on The Masked Singer panel.
The 39-year-old 2009 X Factor contestant joined the hit ITV talent competition in 2017, with Will.i.am, Sir Tom Jones, Jennifer Hudson, Meghan Trainor, and Anne-Marie.
He did, however, say last month that he was ‘gutted’ that his time on the programme was coming to an end.
However, it appears that RIP hitmaker Rita, 32, may be departing The Masked Singer owing to ‘diary clashes.’
An insider shared: ‘It’s a sign they see him as part of the family and will be considered for future projects.’
They added to The Sun: ‘Of course, Olly’s a pro when it comes to music, as well as having tons of experience as a TV judge.’
Confirming his time as a coach has come to an end, the Kiss Me singer told The Sun: ‘I’m gutted. I got the call last week to say I won’t be back on the show, and it’s a bit of a shock, to be honest. I didn’t really expect that to come.’
The Heart Skips A Beat singer continued: ‘But I don’t want to sit here like other artists might, and shine and gloss this up and say, “It was my decision.” I don’t want to do that.
‘I don’t want to bulls**t my fans or bulls**t people who watch the show, and say, “Oh, it was an amicable decision to leave, I’ve got lots of things on next year, I can’t do it anymore.” No.’
Despite his own bitter feelings, Olly will still be watching.
‘Genuinely, I accept their decision, and they’ll find someone great, I’m sure,’ he added. ‘But am I going to miss it? Yeah.’
The start then said: ‘Did I want to leave? No. Will I still watch the show? Of course, but it’ll be sore thinking that could have been me …’
Olly had a good run in the singing competition, winning twice with his team.
The chart-topper maintains that he still has a ‘wonderful connection with ITV,’ and that his departure was more the choice of production firm Talpa than the station itself.
When contacted for comment, ITV said: ‘The Voice UK returns to ITV1 and ITVX for a brand new series later this year featuring coaches Will.i.am, Sir Tom Jones, Anne-Marie and Olly Murs.
‘Details of the 2024 series will be confirmed in due course.’
