will.i.am would be "hurt" if Sir Tom Jones wasn’t on the next series of ‘The Voice’.
The Black Eyed Peas star has confirmed himself for the next instalment of the ITV spinning-chair talent show, and hopes the 76-year-old silver fox joins him.
Asked if he’d be upset if he wasn’t alongside him on the panel following rumours that the 76-year-old silver fox is planning to quit the show, he said: "That would hurt, yeah. I really like Tom."
The 41-year-old producer likes how the ‘Not Unusual’ hitmaker "centres" himself and his fellow coaches, Jennifer Hudson and Gavin Rossdale, and doesn’t allow any bad behaviour.
He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I like how Tom centres everyone. He brings people to behave and we don’t have that nowadays. People just want to run amok. There is no chivalry or appreciation for being polite and I like Tom’s generation.
"I want to be like Tom when I get to his age. He is a gentleman. He really appreciates and loves music."
The ‘I Gotta Feeling’ hitmaker also admits that he would have struggled moving to ITV from the BBC without Tom.
He spilled: "Having Tom back is awesome. It’s true I didn’t want to come back if he wasn’t there.
"Coming to a new network, I don’t think I could have done it. If the panel is whack then the show is going to suffer."
The music legend has been vocal about his enthusiasm for the show, but he is believed to have told friends that he won’t be back next season.
A source said recently: "Tom has really loved being back on ‘The Voice’, and is having a great time working with the other judges and the entire team.
"They all get along famously behind the scenes, as well as on camera.
"But there’s no denying that filming show is very hard work, and takes up a huge amount of time and energy. Tom has really felt that this year.
"He has found it very tiring. And he has been overheard telling his team that he ‘already knows’ he won’t be back for the next series, because it takes too much out of him."
However, Tom has not officially quit and ITV are working on a plan to get him to stay.
The insider added: "After being so unceremoniously dumped from the BBC show, Tom returned to ‘The Voice’ on ITV with a whole new enthusiasm.
"But while he has thoroughly enjoyed himself, that has come at a cost. And at the moment he seems to feel that he would like to go out on a high.
"Nothing has been decided yet, and ITV are hoping they can change his mind.
"But if not, they will just have to go back to the drawing board."
will.i.am hopes Tom Jones will join him for The Voice next season
