The ups and downs of Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones’ tumultuous and enduring friendship as they join the cast of The Voice

For a generation of young fans, Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones were two key members of the beloved boyband McFly.

But although they enjoyed a string of hits together in the early 2000s, it wasn’t always an easy time for the pair, and tensions led to the band splitting up in 2016.

In the years since McFly went on hiatus, both Tom and Danny have spoken out about the dramas that plagued the group, with the former admitting they went through some form of “marriage counselling” before reforming in 2019.

But since McFly’s reunion, backstage feuds are a thing of the past and the group continues to delight thousands of fans at shows across the country.

And now Tom and Danny are ready to join forces. The voice United Kingdom as the program’s first co-coaches, along with LeeAnn Rhymes, Tom Jones and will.i.am, when the new series begins on August 31.

MailOnline looks back at Tom and Danny’s long-standing friendship, as the duo hope to find the UK’s next big singing star…

Tom and Danny’s friendship began before McFly was formed, when the two met during auditions for a band in Manchester.

In a 2020 interview with BBC Radio 2, Danny shared that he was lining up to join a new boy band, which Tom was already involved with.

Although Danny failed to impress with his dance moves, Tom suggested that they form a band together and they began their musical journey by moving into the same house.

He said: ‘It was fun, the pinnacle of being in a band, living together effectively as students, but it was just music, Xbox, pizza, beer, parties, that was it.’

Although McFly’s career took off in 2003 with their debut album Room On The 3rd Floor, Tom was primarily responsible for songwriting.

However, Danny wrote three of his own solo songs for McFly’s first three albums, as well as serving as a producer, while also remixing some of their songs as a side project and touring the country as a DJ.

The talented writer wrote an additional song for One Direction’s second album and their song Don’t Forget Where You Belong from third album Midnight Memories.

But it wasn’t always an easy road for McFly, with bandmate Harry Judd previously saying that when the band took their break, their relationships were “in the worst place they’d been in the 13 years we knew each other” when the supergroup disbanded in 2015.

The group went on hiatus in 2016, and Tom had previously shared his fears that the band would never get back together.

He told The Sun: “I think we’ve pushed it to the limit. The people you love the most are the ones you can take for granted. It’s easy to not address any issues and it’s definitely been a challenge.”

‘We’ve been together for 17 years, so we’ve gone through stages and a whole evolution: we’ve grown up together. Now it’s a new stage in our lives, with children and families.

‘McFly was our baby before that, so it goes from being that thing that’s the most important thing in our lives, to realizing that we all have separate things, too.’

Tom also described the band’s bond as similar to a marriage, noting that they needed a break in an attempt to save the group’s friendship in the long run.

He said: “It’s like a marriage and a bit like we’d had an affair and we didn’t really know how to get over it.”

“We went to marriage counseling, saw other people for a while, but ultimately we didn’t get divorced.”

He also told Radio 2: ‘Of course there are ups and downs, it’s like any relationship – there are four of us and we are four different people.

‘Like any career, there are ups and downs that you have to manage. I don’t think we realized that what got us through it all was our friendship, because it’s the core of everything.

‘We’re really lucky that we all get along, we’re really best friends, and you know, having so many bands come through over our 17 years together, I think that’s quite rare, you don’t really find bands that have the same kind of relationship as us, and that’s what we’ve maintained.

‘Even though McFly is our baby and we cherish him dearly, what we all know we need more than anything is our relationships and friendships with each other, and the band will always be there as long as that remains strong.’

McFly had originally only planned to reunite for one show at London’s O2 Arena, but ended up extending their plans with a new album and a national tour.

Danny previously said that if the group hadn’t taken a break, they would have struggled with burnout.

Referring to the fact that they were only scheduled for one concert, he joked: “The goal is not to upset wives or girlfriends.

Tom and Danny are set to appear as The Voice UK’s first ever double chair in a bid to find the UK’s next big music star.

The pair said: ‘Making history on The Voice UK as the first ever two-chair combination will be epic and we’re both up for the challenge.

“And of course, we couldn’t ask for better company than our fellow Voice family members: Emma, ​​Will, Sir Tom and LeAnn. Bring on the talent!”

This comes after judge Olly Murs, who was on the show for six years, was unexpectedly booted from the show last year.

The Dear Darling singer said ITV bosses told his team the show was “looking for new people” for the coaching role before he was axed from the show.

Murs expressed his disappointment with ITV, saying: ‘They called me to say I wouldn’t be returning to the show and to be honest it was a bit of a shock. I wasn’t expecting it.

“I’m sure they’ll find someone great, but am I going to miss out? Yes. Did I want to leave? No. Will I still watch the show? Of course, but it will hurt to think that it could have been me.”

Meanwhile, Anne-Marie has also been written out of the series ahead of the upcoming 2024 show.