The Voice judge and Black Eyed Peas star, Will.I.Am, has revealed that he donated most of his salary from the BBC talent show to charity.

Reported to be the highest paid judge on the BBC X Factor rival talent show, Will is thought to have given £500,000 to the Prince’s Trust to help disadvantaged young people.

The megastar took to social networking site Twitter to confirm the report, tweeting:  ’I gave the majority of the money I made on the voice to the @PrincesTrust to build a tech program to get the kids from east LDN up to speed.’

Will has been quite prominent on the charity front lately, even making an appearance at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee concert organised by X Factor’s Gary Barlow, and went along on a Prince’s Trust personal development course  before visiting Prince Charles at Clarence House to discuss how his i.am.angel Foundation could support the charity.

His admirable donation will go toward the campaign to help build skills  for work and enterprise, with a focus on technology.

Speaking of the charity, Will  said: “I grew up in east Los Angeles, one of the most under-served and tough neighbourhoods in America.

“My family made sure I understood that getting a good education and hard work were key to turning my dreams into reality and beating the odds that come with growing up in a disadvantaged situation.

“The Prince’s Trust has a 36-year history of assisting disadvantaged youth, so I am pleased to be collaborating with an organisation that shares my mission to transform the lives of young people who need extra support and structure in their lives.”

A spokeswoman for the trust commented that the pricey donation would  enable it to provide enhanced support to its xl education programme, its Enterprise and its personal development Fairbridge programme, providing courses that help  vulnerable and unemployed young people get their lives back on track, with three in four people helped by the Trust moving into work, education or training.
Martina Milburn, the Trust’s chief executive, said: “The Prince’s Trust is a charity which depends on generous donations such as these.

“Will.i.am is an inspiring character – we’re excited about his vision of helping the most disadvantaged to improve their computer skills and we’re incredibly grateful for the donation.

“It will make a huge difference to vulnerable young lives in the UK today.”

Ah, bless him – now we know about his generous charity contributions it is no longer a mystery as to why he was a judge on The Voice!

Watch Will.i.am duetting with his act during the live final of The Voice in the clip below: