The Voice star Tom Nitti thanks fans after exiting the show for custody battle

The singer departed Team Reba after learning his ex-wife sought primary custody of his two children.

Tom Nitti may have left The Voice, but we haven’t heard the last of him.

The singer posted about his heartfelt appreciation after he exited the competition show to fight a custody battle for his two children. “Thank you everyone for the support. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it,” he wrote. “I walked the road of my dream for a bit and loved every minute of it. I’m also quite certain I’m where in need to be right now. I ain’t ever giving up on this dream and my two kids know that. Without a doubt in my mind, I know they’re just as proud of me as I am of them.”

Nitti concluded his post with lyrics from “‘Til You Can’t” by Cody Johnson, the song he performed during the Battles round of the show. “If you’re gonna love somebody, hold them as long and as strong and as close as you can, till you can’t.”

Nitti was selected to join Reba McEntire’s team after an enthusiastic performance of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” in the Blinds round. He later performed the aforementioned “‘Til You Can’t” (alongside Dylan Carter) during the Battles and the Temptations’ “(I Know) I’m Losing You” during the Knockouts.

Nitti originally qualified to compete in The Voice’s 23rd season, but ultimately deferred a year because he didn’t have enough time to request a leave of absence from his position as a New York State Trooper. He filed for divorce five months before season 24 began, and admitted that he wasn’t in a great headspace when McEntire super-saved him during the Knockouts. “I had just received an email from my lawyers urging me to come home because my ex-wife was going after primary custody,” he revealed in an interview with the Utica Observer-Dispatch.

Tom Nitti on ‘The Voice’.Tyler Golden/NBC

“I made this choice not because I missed my kids,” Nitti said, “but because I couldn’t imagine losing them.”

“I am happy with the decision I made, but should it have come to that point?” Nitti wondered. “Absolutely not.”

McEntire told ET that she’s been checking up on Nitti via email. “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.”

“I’m hoping one day my kids will be able to see why I did what I did instead of just thinking that I quit,” Nitti said.

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