Cate McHugh wins The Voice UK in Sir Tom Jones’s final appearance

Cate McHugh, a singer from Llantwit Major in south Wales, has won The Voice UK after being coached by Sir Tom Jones in his final appearance on the ITV talent show.

The 31-year-old was crowned on Saturday night. Her prize includes £50,000 and a recording contract; her debut single, a cover of The Beatles’ “Blackbird”, has been released.

McHugh began singing as a child and busked in Cardiff as a teenager. She was diagnosed with Stargardt disease, a degenerative sight condition, at 22 and is registered blind. At her blind audition, she said, she did not know whether a coach had turned around until she heard Jones speak.

Jones, who has coached on and off since the programme began in 2012, hugged McHugh after the result. He announced in September that he was leaving the show, saying ITV had decided to remove him from its coaching panel.

McHugh said after her win that she was “entirely gobsmacked” and had not fully processed it. The final also featured a duet with Jones of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads”.