Voice coach Anthony Wade says he spent years helping Brit Award winner Sam Smith improve his vocal technique.

But after helping develop the megastar’s tones, he’s now stunned to be met with a wall of silence – and is calling on the singer to acknowledge the role he played in his success.

Anthony, known as Dr Voice, who lives in The Delce, Rochester, fears people will see him as bitter, but says the truth is anything but.

Rather he was overjoyed to see his former protégé bag four Grammys and two Brit Awards last month – but he does admit to being saddened by the lack of recognition from someone he thought he had a close relationship with.

“He went away for about a year and then came back to me but he couldn’t afford lessons. He paid for a couple of lessons but some I couldn’t charge for because he couldn’t afford it" - Dr Voice

“I worked with him for three to four years out of the kindness of my heart. Over 10 hours a day putting tracks down,” he said.

“He went away for about a year and then came back to me but he couldn’t afford lessons. He paid for a couple of lessons but some I couldn’t charge for because he couldn’t afford it.

“I used to pick him up from the station in Maidstone when he came down for lessons,” added Dr Voice, who used to live in Clifford Way, Maidstone.

“This was before he was famous.”

The last time he heard from the singer was in a text in November, but since then texts have gone unanswered.

He acknowledged that the life of an artist can be “fraught with many people jumping on the band wagon,” but added: “this is certainly not my intention – it’s more of a statement of truth, that yes, I did teach Sam Smith and yes, I believe it contributed towards his success.

"And I was behind backing a winner – let the public decide if I am being bitter or sad.”

He added: “Someone advised me to drop it, but I said, if someone smacks you on the nose as hard as they can, would you say ‘never mind’, or would you want to know why?

“It’s a funny one – we had a nice friendship.”

He believed the lack of recognition was possibly the result of a record company decision.

Sam Smith’s PR company refused to comment.

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