The Voice UK 2026 concluded on Saturday night, October 31, on ITV1, and Welsh singer Cate McHugh was crowned the winner, according to Radio Times.

Representing Team Tom Jones, the 31-year-old from Llantwit Major beat fellow finalists Monique Nicholson-Porter (Team Kelly Rowland), Naná Aldrin-Quaye (Team will.i.am) and Frank Raven (Team Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones). Overwhelmed on stage, she said simply: "Thank you, I did it."

Wales Online reports she later told her Instagram followers, "I WON THE BLOODY VOICE!!" — adding that she was still feeling "incredibly lucky and a little bit gobsmacked."

The prize package, as reported by Wales Online and The Times of India, includes £50,000 in cash, a recording contract with Universal Music Group and a holiday to Universal Orlando Resort in Florida.

The detail fans keep repeating is that McHugh is registered blind. Wales Online reports she has the degenerative macular condition Stargardt disease, losing most of her sight at 22, with only her peripheral vision intact.

She told Wales Online that the blind audition carried a literal irony: she could not see whether any chairs turned, and the studio has no audible sound when chairs rotate, only a light signal.

She sensed a subtle change in the light but did not know who had turned until Sir Tom Jones delivered his feedback. "You've been blessed with a wonderful voice. If you're short-sighted, you're not short-voiced," he told her, likening her to Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles.

She had begun busking in Cardiff city centre at 16 and spent five years singing on cruise ships, per The Times of India.

For the grand final, each finalist sang solo before duetting with their coach, Radio Times and the Daily Express report. McHugh performed The Beatles' "Blackbird" as her solo and joined Sir Tom Jones on John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads."

Wales Online says the Welsh pairing sparked immediate calls from fans for the two to record the country classic together, with one writing, "Now I know what Tom should do after tonight's final … record this with Cate."

Another fan described the duet as "beautiful" and the moment as emotional, given it was Sir Tom's last performance on the show.

The win doubles as a parting shot at ITV. Sir Tom Jones, an original coach since the show premiered in 2012, confirmed in September that this season is his last as a full-time coach.

In a statement quoted by Radio Times and The Times of India, he said he did not want to leave, that ITV made the decision citing "a financial difficulty with insurance" and a wish to "refresh" the show, and that he was offered a reduced role he was "not thrilled about."

The Times of India quotes his line that "there's never a good time to fire an 86-year-old who's still pretty good at his job." The Times of India also notes he coached from 2012 to 2015, sat out 2016, and returned in 2017 when the show moved to ITV.

Reaction online framed the result as a rebuke to ITV's decision. Radio Times quotes viewers on X calling Sir Tom "the most winningest coach in the show's history" with four victories, "part of its heart and soul," whose departure is "even more baffling" now that his act has won.

Wales Online cites YouTube comments such as "Thanks Sir Tom, you will be missed so much. Big mistake by ITV," and a plea for ITV to "Rethink firing Sir Tom Jones." The Daily Express reports viewers calling themselves "emosh" that he won his last series.

There was also criticism of the format itself: Radio Times, Wales Online and the Daily Express all note the series was pre-recorded, so the studio audience — not home viewers — decided the winner.

The Daily Express adds that Ella Eyre performed and the coaches opened with a Studio 54-style warehouse number.

McHugh's Universal Music Group recording contract is the tangible next step, with fans already lobbying for a country-styled recording of "Take Me Home, Country Roads" with her mentor, Wales Online reports.

Her hometown celebrated too: Wales Online notes Llantwit Major AFC congratulated her on Facebook, writing that her two performances "came straight from the heart" and that she made the town and nation proud.

As for Sir Tom, a show spokesperson told Radio Times that while he will not be a full-time coach on series 15, ITV continues to talk with him and his team about his involvement in the next series. The Voice UK is available to stream on ITVX, per the Daily Express.