Long before entering the television competition, McHugh had accumulated years of public performance experience. She began singing and playing guitar as a busker on Queen Street in Cardiff when she was 16. She subsequently spent about five years working as a singer aboard cruise ships.

McHugh’s selections during the series included songs connected with Bruno Mars and Harry Styles. She ultimately secured the championship with a solo rendition of The Beatles’ “Blackbird.” “Take Me Home, Country Roads” had previously been heard elsewhere in the franchise when young contestant Shaney-Lee sang it for a blind audition on The Voice Kids UK.

Viewers responded positively to the final collaboration after it aired. One fan commented favorably on how the two voices worked together, and another called for Jones and McHugh to make an album as a pair. Those reactions accompanied McHugh’s performance beside Jones, who remained active onstage into his eighties.

McHugh’s victory was Jones’s fourth as a coach on the series. Contestants from his team had also won in 2012, 2018 and 2022. ITV has announced changes to the coaching lineup for 2027, with new coaches due to occupy the red chairs, making the 2026 result the closing victory of Jones’s regular coaching run. McHugh now moves on from the show with its title, a Universal Music Group contract and her final duet with Jones.