How McFly's Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones saved their friendship after 'ups and downs'

For years, Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones have been central to McFly's success, but their journey hasn't been without struggles. The pair faced intense pressures that led to the band's hiatus in 2016. Now, both have opened up about how they worked through their issues and saved their friendship after years of "ups and downs".

As McFly's popularity soared in the early 2000s, tensions built behind the scenes. Bandmate Harry Judd admitted that by 2015, when the band disbanded, their relationships were at a breaking point. "The relationships were in the worst place they had been in the entire 13 years we'd known each other," he revealed.

Tom later described their dynamic as similar to a marriage, explaining how they took each other for granted after being together for so long. "It's the people you love the most who are the ones you can take for granted. It's easy to not address any issues, and it's definitely been challenging," he shared with The Sun.

"We've been together for 17 years, so it goes through phases and a whole evolution - we grew up together. Now it's a new phase of our lives, with kids and families. McFly was our baby before that, so it goes from being this one thing that's the most important thing in our lives, to realising that we all also have separate things."

The break in 2016 was necessary for their friendships to survive, with Tom comparing the situation to a troubled marriage. "It's like a marriage and a bit like we had an affair and we didn't really know how to get through that," Tom admitted.

In a bid to salvage the group, they sought "marriage counselling" to work through their issues. They spent time apart, with each member pursuing individual projects, but ultimately, they managed to rebuild their connection.

"We had some marriage counselling, saw some other people for a while - but ultimately we didn't get divorced," Tom said.

By 2019, McFly was ready to reunite, much to the delight of their fans. Tom reflected on the band's recovery, saying: "There are of course ups and downs. It's like any relationship; there's four of us and we're four different people. Like any career, there are ups and downs you have to manage. I don't think we realised the thing that got us through everything is our friendship, because it's the core of everything."

Since the reunion, McFly has been performing across the country to enthusiastic crowds. "The one thing we all know we need to look after more than anything is our relationships and friendships with each other, and the band will always be there as long as that remains strong," Tom shared.

Danny echoed these sentiments, adding: "We are so lucky that we all just get on, we are genuinely best friends. Having so many bands come and go over our 17 years together, I think that's quite rare. You don't really get bands who have the same kind of relationship that we have, and that's the thing we've held onto."

Now, Tom and Danny are set to make history as the first-ever joint coaches on UK. The pair are ready to take on this new challenge together.

"To be making The Voice UK history as the first-ever double chair combo is going to be epic, and we're both ready for the challenge," the duo said.

"And of course, we couldn't ask to be in greater company than our fellow Voice family members Emma, Will, Sir Tom, and LeAnn. Roll on the talent!"