Stevie McCrorie has returned to duty as a firefighter as his reign as winner of The Voice came to an end.
Former Liberty X singer Kevin Simm won the BBC contest on Saturday night, during an episode which attracted the show’s lowest ever viewer numbers, trumped by Britain’s Got Talent.
Just over a fortnight after performing on the show’s quarter-final, Stevie, 31, posted a photograph of himself in his fire service sweater.
The selfie, taken at the wheel of his car, was uploaded to Instagram on Sunday morning, apparently as he set out for his first shift.
Friends and fans bombarded him with messages wishing him good luck on his first day back with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
Stevie took a break from his job at Kirkcaldy Fire Station to pursue his music career after his blind audition stunned judges on the BBC One show and he was selected for mentor Ricky Wilson’s team.
His winning single Lost Stars debuted a number six in the UK singles chart but it was January of this year before the follow-up album Big World hit the market, charting at a disappointing number 35.
Confirming he would return to his old job just over a week ago, Stevie, who lives in Alva with wife Amy and daughter Bibi, said he had made the decision for the security of his family, but planned to continue making music.
He said: “First I want to thank the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service they have been so supportive of my journey and if I didn’t return now it might not have been possible further down the line and I’m just not at the point in my music career where I’m ready to let go of a career I also love.
“I genuinely see a future in my music career alongside my firefighting career. I have been playing in bands all my life and made it work whilst having a day job.”
Saturday’s fifth series finale drew just half the number of viewers who watched rival show BGT on ITV.
It had an average audience of 4.5 million, down 1.8 million from when Stevie won, while BGT had nine million and was ITV’s highest rated programme of the year so far.