Scouting For Girls frontman Roy Stride has revealed that he was almost a coach on The Voice UK in 2014, but lost out to Kaiser Chiefs' Ricky Wilson. Stride told the Mirror he is "still seething" about missing the role.
Almost a coach
Stride, 47, had auditioned for the show in 2014, but things didn't go to plan. "The next thing I saw was Ricky Wilson was on as the new judge on The Voice," he said. He laughed: "Obviously, I didn't do very well, but I don't think I'd have been very good at it."
He added: "I'd have gotten too involved, too emotionally involved with the contestants; I'd still be friends with them now, taking them out on tour with me." However, Stride said that while some coaches are "there just for the TV," most are "super involved".
Ricky Wilson's involvement
Not long after Ricky departed The Voice, Stride and the rocker teamed up to write a song, and Ricky later opened up about his experience on the show and his continued contact with his contestants. Stride explained: "He was still talking to these contestants, like two or three years later, trying to coach them through, trying to get them record deals."
"He was like 'A lot of the judges sort of walk away at the end of the day, they're done,' – whereas he's still three years later trying to help these people. I'd have been like that."
New coaching panel
While there has been drama around the upcoming series of The Voice, Stride, a huge fan of the show, is excited to see the new coaching panel together. It was recently revealed that Sir Tom Jones had been axed from the panel for next year, despite series 14 currently airing. Series 15 will see Will.i.am return, alongside Kelly Rowland, and they'll be joined by Girls Aloud's Cheryl Tweedy and Manchester rapper Aitch.
"Sir Tom is such a legend; he was so good on the voice. Aitch, he's such a legend, he's such a star, I think this platform will send him into superstardom," said Stride, adding: "I'm excited for him. I'm gutted about Tom, it's Tom Jones, isn't it?!"
Stride went on to say of the new coaching line-up: "It's always good to have a bit of fresh blood on there, isn't it? Keep it exciting. And uh, it's a bit like, you know, with The Grand Tour, you know, everyone's now saying that Bourgeois is the secret sauce to it, you know, the one which people aren't quite sure about. But I think Aitch is going to kill it."
Girlguiding's Big Gig
Next month, the band will headline Girlguiding's Big Gig at Wembley Arena, something Stride instantly said yes to. The band have previously performed on the line-up and had one of the loudest crowds to date. "I felt like we were The Beatles because there were just 10,000 Girl Guides going crazy," he said.
He went on to add: "To be invited back is very exciting." Stride's own daughter, Rosie, was a member of the Girl Guides before the family relocated to Los Angeles.
Reflecting on his own time in the Scouts, Stride revealed: "We're called Scouting for Girls because me and Pete met in the Scouts, so we've—you know, we really appreciate the time we spent in the Scouts, and we're really appreciative of all the work that the leaders put in looking after the kids. So I'm so excited to be there."
And while he and his family now live in LA, Rosie "misses the movement" of the Girlguiding, which is unique to Britain. He said: "The best thing about it was that it's amazing for girls to have a safe space. And I think it really helped her confidence, too." He continued: "There's some sort of stat out there that Girlguides are 30% more confident. I definitely saw that in Rosie, she went climbing, abseiling, canoeing, kayaking – all these outdoor adventure sports, she loved her time in the Girlguides."
Girlguiding's Big Gig will take place on October 10 at OVO Arena Wembley.
