Cate McHugh, a 31-year-old singer from Llantwit Major, has won The Voice UK 2026, taking the crown after a grand final on ITV1 on Saturday night. The Welsh vocalist, who duetted Country Roads with her mentor Sir Tom Jones during the show, described herself as feeling "incredibly lucky" and "gobsmacked" in messages posted to her fans on Instagram.
McHugh, who began busking in Cardiff city centre aged 16, thanked her family, Sir Tom and supporters in the posts, which drew congratulations from her 11,000 followers. She wrote: "I WON THE BLOODY VOICE!!" and added, "Well, I didn’t see THAT coming! (Pun most definitely intended.) Still feeling incredibly lucky and a little bit gobsmacked."
Local Club Celebrates Win
Back home, Llantwit Major AFC posted congratulations to the singer on its Facebook page. The club said: "Shes only gone and done it!!! From everyone at Llantwit Major AFC, a HUGE congratulations to Cate McHugh on winning The Voice." The post continued: "What an incredible achievement and a truly special moment for Cate and her family. Your two performances came straight from the heart. Both were incredibly powerful, emotional and meaningful, showcasing not only your outstanding talent but the passion and sincerity behind every word you sang."
The club added: "You have made the town, wider community and nation so proud!" and concluded: "A huge congratulations once again, Cate! Enjoy every moment of this incredible achievement. You deserve it! From all of us at Llantwit Major AFC – WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!"
Final Performances and Prize
McHugh sang The Beatles' Blackbird and duetted with Sir Tom Jones on John Denver's Take Me Home Country Roads, prompting calls from fans for the pair to record the country classic. One fan said: "Now I know what Tom should do after tonight’s final … record this with Cate."
She beat Monique Nicholson-Porter (Team Kelly), Naná Aldrin-Quaye (Team will.i.am) and Frank Raven (Team Tom & Danny) to take the top spot. Representing Team Tom Jones, McHugh won a £50,000 cash prize, a recording contract with Universal Music Group and a holiday to Universal Orlando Resort in Florida. This year's winner was decided by the audience present during filming, with home viewers unable to vote, which drew some criticism online during the broadcast.
Journey to the Final
McHugh impressed judges with her performance of Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' track Die With A Smile during her blind audition, prompting Sir Tom to press the button and turn his chair. She spoke openly about living with the degenerative macular condition Stargardt disease, which led to her losing her vision aged 22.
She applied to the show on impulse after noticing a call for applicants while performing in Cardiff Bay. Speaking to Wales Online before her win, she described stepping onto the stage as unlike anything she had experienced before. She said: "Walking out onto the stage for my blind audition is like no other stage that I've been on to date. TV isn't something I'm experienced in. I love gigging, I've been doing that for years. But that stage with the lights, it's just really different, really bright, and I couldn't see anything, so they walked me out to where I needed to be, and I was just hoping I was pointed in the right way."
She added: "Knowing that the judges were in front of me, and that there might be a turn, I knew that if anything happened, I wasn't going to be able to see that it had happened. So there was a little bit of me that was pulled out of the moment, that was just thinking like, 'what are you going to do if something happens? Am I going to know?' A bit strange because with me, it really is a blind audition."
McHugh revealed there is no audible sound when the chairs rotate, only a light signal, and she sensed a subtle change in the light but remained unaware of who had turned for her until Sir Tom delivered his feedback. She said: "Having Sir Tom Jones tell you that he wants you on his team, as a born and bred Welsh singer is insane. Because, I mean, his career has been mad and constant, and he's still brilliant."
Following her audition, Sir Tom likened her to all-time greats, stating: "You've been blessed with a wonderful voice. If you're short-sighted, you're not short-voiced." Reflecting on this, McHugh said: "That was a really nice thing for Tom to say. I've never felt that my sight has impacted my ability to sing and hearing it from him that, obviously, he talked about the greats that he's worked with who have also been affected by sight loss, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles. It was quite nice to be put in the same sentence as those, I'm not going to lie."
McHugh's condition means her vision has deteriorated gradually, leaving blurred patches and only peripheral vision intact, which can be exacerbated by bright or dimly lit environments. She said: "Losing my sight whilst I was already a professional singer was a moment where I had to think, am I going to be able to do this going forward or is this where we decide to pivot on the career? But I'm quite stubborn, so I decided, 'no, we're going to go for it, we're going to see what happens, and what will be, will be.'"
