The key facts

  • Cate McHugh from Wales became the winner of The Voice UK, receiving £50,000 and a recording contract
  • Her coach was Sir Tom Jones, for whom the final was his last episode on the show
  • McHugh is registered blind due to Stargardt disease, diagnosed at the age of 22

Victory in the final

Singer Cate McHugh from Llantwit Major (Vale of Glamorgan) has become the winner of The Voice UK, BBC News reports. The 31-year-old artist, who began her career busking on the streets of Cardiff, called her victory unexpected: 'I'm in complete shock and haven't fully taken it in yet.' Her prize is £50,000 and a recording contract; her first single, a cover of The Beatles' Blackbird, has already been released. In the final, she performed John Denver's Take Me Home, Country Roads as a duet with Sir Tom Jones.

The road to victory

At the 'blind audition', McHugh performed Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' Die With A Smile, and Sir Tom Jones turned his chair. Due to Stargardt disease, diagnosed at the age of 22 during her second year at music school, the central part of her vision is affected and she is registered as blind — so she did not know whether anyone had turned until she heard Jones' voice. The singer told BBC Radio Wales Breakfastthat she began singing 'before she could talk', took lessons from the age of six and turned professional at around 15; her mother, who has the same diagnosis, is her inspiration.

Sir Tom Jones' final

For the 86-year-old Jones from Pontypridd, the final was his last episode on the show, where he had served as a coach, with breaks, since 2012. In September, he announced on Instagram that ITV 'made the decision' to 'sack' him from the panel, amid rumours of his departure from the 2027 series. In addition, at the end of October he said that due to 'a severe bout of flu' he had to reschedule or cancel some concerts on the US leg of his Come Gather Round tour, apologising to fans.

Cate, a woman with long curly blonde hair and wearing an ivory sequinned dress is standing on stage, next to Sir Tom Jones.Image source, The Voice UK
Image caption,

Cate McHugh was crowned winner of The Voice UK on Saturday night

Sir Tom and Emma Willis both look at Cate, smiling. Sir Tom is clapping his hands, and Cate is looking forward, with a wide smile.Image source, The Voice UK
Image caption,

It was also a poignant night for Sir Tom as he made his final appearance on the show

Sir Tom is holding a microphone and singing while sitting down and looking towards Cate seated opposite him. She has long curly blonde hair and is wearing a sequinned long dress. She is also smiling and looking at him while holding a microphone and singing.Image source, The Voice UK
Image caption,

Sir Tom performed a duet with Cate McHugh during the final of The Voice UK

Sir Tom Jones holds a microphone and smiles at the audience. He is wearing a dark blue suit, shirt and tie, and looking away from the camera.Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Sir Tom announced his departure from The Voice UK on Instagram in September

Eleanor who has brown hair with a clip in it, on a swing with her eyes closed, laughingMichael Fogg, a man with a bald head and a dark brown beard, is smiling while pictured near to a court building. He is wearing a blue suit jacket and light pink polo shirt.An oil beetle resting on a flower with its two antennae sticking in the air.