The Voice contestant Tom Nitti is getting candid about the real reason he departed the singing competition early.
After sharing a heartfelt Instagram post after he left the show prior to the Knockout Rounds for “personal reasons,” Tom went more in-depth about what exactly went down in a recent interview with the Utica Observer-Dispatch.
Tom revealed that he had actually qualified for The Voice in season 23, but explained that he deferred to the following season due to tensions at home and concern for his two kids.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to pursue music full-time, but I can’t do that without a cushion,” explained the law enforcement officer and Purple Heart recipient. “As a dad, I need to make sure my children will be supported.”
Ultimately, Tom decided to try his luck on The Voice in season 24, but just a few months before the season began airing, he filed for divorce from his ex-wife.
The contentious process was ongoing during Tom’s time on the show, and he admitted he leaned on fellow contestants-turned-friends like Huntley and Jacquie Roar for their support.
Following his Three-Way Knockout, in which Jacquie won, but Tom received a save from his coach, Reba McEntire, Tom said that Jacquie asked him why he seemed down.
“I spilled my guts,” he recalled. “I told her about how I had just received an email from my lawyers urging me to come home because my ex-wife was going after primary custody.”
Tom said he made the “gut-wrenching” decision to depart the competition, “not because I missed my kids, but because I couldn’t imagine losing them.”
“I am happy with the decision I made, but should it have come to that point? Absolutely not,” he continued.
The country singer shared that he recently wrote a song about the situation called “Redemption Road,” which he hopes to share with his kids in the future.
As for his Voice family, the singer raved that “The most positive thing from my experience on the show was the camaraderie I found among other vocalists.”
“The producers on the show treat you like gold,” he added. “And Reba is the most genuine person – she is the same on TV as she is in real life.”
Tom even shared that Reba had been checking in with him via email, something the country music legend confirmed to ET on the The Voice live show red carpet on Monday.
“We’ve been emailing back and forth and all of our hearts went out to him ’cause he couldn’t finish the competition,” she said. “He is so strong, so good. He’s gonna be watching and cheering all of us on, but our hearts are with him.”
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