Olly Murs Throws Shade At 'X Factor', Hailing 'The Voice' As 'The Best Show He's Worked On'

And he's also still not heard from Simon Cowell after jumping ship.

Olly Murs has made a subtle dig at his old stomping ground at ‘The X Factor’ by declaring ‘The Voice’ “the best show I’ve worked on”.

After finishing in second place in the 2009 ‘X Factor’ final, Olly went on to host spin-off show ‘Xtra Factor’ for two years, later presenting the main show alongside Caroline Flack in 2015, before they were dropped after one series. 

He has now joined the new series of rival talent show ‘The Voice’ as a coach, and it sounds like it’s an experience he’s enjoying far more. 

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Olly Murs has jumped ship from 'The X Factor' to 'The Voice'
Mike Marsland via Getty Images

Speaking at The Voice’s press launch, Olly said: “I’m loving it. I really am enjoying every moment and I want to sit here and say thank you to all the editing team and producers because it’s so much fun.

“It is the best show I’ve worked on for a fact, so I’m loving that.”

Asked what ‘The Voice’ had over ‘The X Factor’, he cheekily responded: “We can’t compare. I will only say this - let’s compare when we’ve finished the season and let’s see how good our winner is.”

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Olly with his 'Voice' co-stars will.i.am, Jennifer Hudson, Sir Tom Jones and host Emma Willis
Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment

Following reports Simon Cowell had failed to make contact with him after he jumped ship, Olly believes the music mogul will not be happy when he sees how good the show is. 

Asked if he contacted Simon before taking the job or whether his old boss had reached out to him, Olly said: “I’m just going to say no and no. None of that happened.

“Listen, I’m just going to say, you make your own decisions in life and ever since I left ‘The X Factor’, I’ve always made my own.

“When ‘The Voice’ came calling, [I thought] ‘yeah, I want to do this’, because it is an incredible show. Being among these amazing coaches, I’m going to learn loads and grow as a character, and I want to help people. 

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Olly hosted 'The X Factor' alongside Caroline Flack in 2015
PA Archive/PA Images

“I haven’t heard from Simon. I only read what [journalists] like to write. Simon knows where I am and he’s got my telephone number, so he knows how to reach me.

“If he wants to call me, we can have a chat but he probably won’t.”

He added: “I saw him at the ITV Gala recently and he said it was good to see me and that was it. I was like, ‘OK, cool’. But he’s going to watch the show and he ain’t going to be happy.”

‘The Voice UK’ launches on Saturday (6 January) at 8pm on ITV. 

'The Voice' UK: Where Are They Now?
Lydia Lucy (Finalist, 2016)(01 of14)
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will.i.am kept his promise of further support, and Lydia performed with the Black Eyed Peas at the Capital Summertime Ball, just months after her series ended. (credit:BBC)
Jermain Jackman (Winner, 2014)(02 of14)
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It seemed the BBC may finally have found a star with Jermain. Regrettably, this wasn't the case, and his debut album peaked at number 42 in the charts after its 2015 release. (credit:Dave J Hogan via Getty Images)
Leanne Mitchell (Winner, 2012)(03 of14)
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Sadly, the show's first ever winner found herself dropped in 2014, after releasing just one album.

Leanne later blamed the fact her label waited too long after her victory on 'The Voice' in releasing the album for its lack of commercial success, claiming she was still happy she didn't "cop out" and release a covers album.
(credit:Mike Marsland via Getty Images)
Tyler James (Runner-up, 2012)(04 of14)
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Tyler "I Was Best Friends With Amy Winehouse" James (she's mentioned six times on his Wikipedia page alone) was a fan favourite during the first series of 'The Voice', famously performing a duet with will.i.am dangling from the ceiling.

This didn't translate to a fruitful music career, though, and his last offering in 2012 stalled at number 47 in the UK album chart.
(credit:REX/Brian Rasic)
Bo Bruce Runner-up, 2012)(05 of14)
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Despite having the most commercial success of any of the former 'Voice' stars, Bo didn't have an easy time after leaving the competition, and quit her record label after two singles due to a "lack of support", before eventually checking into rehab for exhaustion.

She's since branded former coach DannyO'Donoghue a "wanker" after admitting that they shared a snog while she was still being mentored by him on the show.
(credit:Rex/Jason Sheldon)
Vince Kidd (Fourth place, 2012)(06 of14)
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Vince has continued to make music since appearing on the show, releasing four singles, though none managed to chart in the UK. (credit:Rex)
Twinnie Lee Moore (2002)(07 of14)
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She was already a successful musical theatre actress when she auditioned for 'The Voice', but none of the judges turned their chairs for Twinnie.

Since then, she's focussed on acting and in 2014, began playing a McQueen in 'Hollyoaks'. She also, judging from this photo, loves a good hat.
(credit:Rex/Tom Horton)
Jamie Johnson (Fourth place, 2014)(08 of14)
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Jamie continued to remain in the public eye after the show, and in 2015, declared that he was going to try and make a splash in America, insisting: "I just don’t want half the cake, I want the whole cake."

While it seems he may not have been successful, Jamie is continuing to make music and keeps fans updated online.
(credit:Rex/Beretta/Sims)
Leah McFall (Finalist, 2013)(09 of14)
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Leah's cover of 'I Will Always Love You' may have charted at number 8 while she was on the show, but her efforts after the competition couldn't match it.

Despite support from will.i.am - who invited her to support him on tour - Leah's debut album failed to materialise, and she was quietly dropped by her label.
(credit:Neil Lupin via Getty Images)
Andrea Begley (Winner, 2013)(10 of14)
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Andrea famously caused will.i.am to storm off set when she was announced as winner over his act, Leah McFall.

Andrea had huge success - by The Voice's standards... - in 2013, when her debut album charted a number 7.

We haven't heard much from her since then though, and after its release, she completed her Masters degree in Law and Governance... which would appear to suggest we won't be hearing a follow-up anytime soon.
(credit:Harlem Mepham via Getty Images)
Max Milner (2012)(11 of14)
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Chart success wasn't Max's forte, but in early 2016, he was still making music and sharing updates with fans. (credit:Rex/Ray Tang)
Sally Barker (Runner-up, 2014)(12 of14)
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Sally may not have been the winner, but she still managed thrash champion Jermain Jackman in terms of single sales, charting 15 places higher than him the week after the show ended.

Following her success on the show, Sally completed a UK tour at the tail-end of 2014.
(credit:Alex Huckle via Getty Images)
Bungle (2015)(13 of14)
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From what we can gather, he's still living comfortably with Zippy and George in the 'Rainbow' house, following his brief appearance. (credit:Rex/Freemantle Media Ltd.)
Kevin Simm (Winner, 2016)(14 of14)
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Former Liberty X star Kevin triumphed on what would be the last BBC series of 'The Voice'.

Unfortunately, he couldn't break the show's curse, and his solo album 'Recover', failed to chart when it was released in October 2016.
(credit:Jeff Spicer via Getty Images)