Where are The Voice UK winners and runners-up now? From firefighter and theatre star to wannabe PM
THEY beat strong competition to make it through the ruthless auditions, before singing their way to the final of The Voice.
But while some past winners and runners-up of the UK show continued to pursue music, others have chosen very different paths since their time on the contest.
Now the latest series is about to enter its semi-finals stage, with some incredible singers fighting for their chance at the top spot.
This weekend will see judges will.i.am, Tom Jones, Olly Murs and Anne-Marie each welcome back their chosen top six, who will sing their hearts out for a chance at the final.
And whoever makes it will join the likes of Leanne Mitchell, Jermain Jackman, Kevin Simm and last year’s winner Blessing Chitapa in the show’s top ranks.
Here’s a look at what the past winners and memorable runners-up have been up to since their time on the show…
Leanne Mitchell – 2012 winner
Leanne Mitchell became the first ever winner of The Voice but, while she wowed viewers and the judges at the time, she didn’t remain in the spotlight for long.
Mentored by Tom Jones, Leanne, now 37, beat Bo Bruce in the final but her self-titled debut record failed to make it into the Top 100 and she was dropped by her label.
She has since married and welcomed a son, Leo, and she is said to have started performing at parties after her win.
It was also previously claimed she’d returned to her job as a holiday camp singer, despite winning the inaugural competition.
Leanne took to her official Facebook page to share a video she’d recorded with several other singers for Christmas last year, proving she still has a huge passion for music.
Bo Bruce – 2012 runner-up
She may have missed out on the crown in the first ever series, but Bo Bruce made an impression all the same.
Coached by Danny O’Donoghue, she made it right to the final – before being signed to Mercury Records.
Bo’s debut album, Before I Sleep, made the Top 10 in 2013, but it was her bond with producer-musician Henry Binns – who she collaborated with on the album – that was to last the longest, as they went on to get married.
The couple, who have two children, went on to form double act Ecuador together, and continue to record music today.
Bo has completely changed her look since The Voice too, growing her hair out and opting for more natural make-up.
Andrea Begley – 2013 winner
Andrea Begley became the second winner of The Voice when she beat show favourite at the time, Leah McFall, and Mike Ward in the final.
She was mentored by Danny O’Donogue in the competition, but immediately faced criticism from will.i.am following her win when he openly slammed the public’s decision and insisted his act Leah should have won.
He tweeted: “You should feel the audience’s vibration in the room tonight after the public vote… It’s #unexplainable….so sad….#perplexed.”
Before adding: “Andrea is amazing…#dontGETmeWRONG…but we know who has the incredible #voice.”
Andrea’s debut single peaked at number 30 but her follow-up track failed to crack the top 100. Her album The Message, however, charted at number 7.
The singer, 34, who is partially sighted as a result of glaucoma as a child, has continued her activism work and is a motivational speaker, delivering talks on her own experiences of sight loss, while she also regularly shares videos of her singing on Instagram.
Leah McFall – 2013 runner-up
Runner-up in 2013 was Leah McFall, who had viewers behind her from the start.
And she’s continued in music ever since, with the help of mentor will.i.am, who recorded a version of Bang Bang with her and also performed with her at Wireless the same year.
She was later dropped from her record label, but has continued to release singles over the last few years.
Like Bo, she’s opted for a very different look now and her latest snaps show her with bright blonde hair.
Now 31, she recently welcomed a baby boy with her husband Nathan.
Jermain Jackman – 2014 winner
Jermain Jackman was poised to be The Voice’s first breakout star when he became the third winner of the show, beating Christina Marie and Sally Barker.
He became will.i.am’s first act to win the series but his first single, And I Am Telling You, only reached number 75 in the charts.
In 2014, he stepped away from the music industry to continue with his studies in politics, having spoken about his desire to be Prime Minister while on the show.
In recent years, Jermaine, 26, has run for the Labour Party NEC, initially with the aim of being elected as Youth Representative before switching to Constituency Labour Party (CLP) Representative. He narrowly missed out in the results.
Despite this, on Instagram the singing hopeful still describes himself as a “singer/songwriter” and performed in the lineup for Labour Live 2018 – the party’s summer festival.
Stevie McCrorie – 2015 winner
Scottish singer Stevie McCrorie managed to get a number 6 hit with his cover of Adam Levine’s Lost Stars, after he beat Lucy O’Byrne in the final of series four.
He was mentored by Ricky Wilson and the Scottish singer was quickly snapped up by music label, Decca.