Rapper will.i.am could become the third mentor to quit The Voice, following the recent announcements by fellow judges Danny O'Donoghue and Jessie J that they will not be returning to the show. "I don't know if I'll come back to the show next year," will.i.am told The Telegraph. "I haven't thought that far ahead. "The legendary rapper and Black Eyed Peas frontman had previously said he would only stay on the show if the panel remained the same.
"As long as the four of us do it, then I'll sign again," he said. "I think it's important it's the four of us, there's a good chemistry. "It would be hard to do it without the others. I know to look to the left when I'm having a bad day and Jessie will pull some weird-ass face and cheer me up. "It is likely that with Jessie and Danny's announced departures, will.i.am will follow suit, leaving Sir Tom Jones as the sole original member of the panel.Jessie was the first mentor to announce she would leave the show, and released a statement on Twitter saying she planned to focus on her pop singing career. "I've absolutely loved my time on The Voice, and I hope everyone saw and knows how passionately I felt about the show," she wrote on Twitter. Jessie then went on to explain that her priority lay in promoting her new record around the world, but that she would be following the third series of the show closely.
The Script frontman Danny soon followed suit and, like Jessie, he would concentrate on his pushing his band forward."I had two wonderful seasons on The Voice and as everybody knows I gave it my heart and soul and couldn't be more proud of the show and what we have achieved," Danny wrote on his Twitter account. Danny won the second series with contestant Andrea Begley.Speculation has begun on who may replace the confirmed departing duo, with Cheryl Cole tipped as a possible replacement. "She has been concentrating on other things, but I could see her getting back into a talent show for sure," said will.i.am. "She would have offers from the UK and the US — but she would be perfect for The Voice."