'The Voice' Australia's Joel Madden: 'Nicole Richie is secret weapon'

Joel Madden has described wife Nicole Richie as his "secret weapon" when he becomes a judge on The Voice next year.

The Good Charlotte rocker, who recently agreed to be on the panel for the Australian version of the reality television show, said that she will help him rival fellow mentors Keith Urban, Seal and Delta Goodrem.

Madden told the Herald Sun that he only signed up for the programme because Richie loves the format, saying: "I'm the music guy but she was a bigger fan than I was out of the gate. I started watching, but she was just so intense and wants to come to every show."

He revealed that they are "bringing the whole family" to live in Australia during filming, adding: "There [are] a lot of logistics to work out. We want it to be an experience and can't wait to live here."

Auditions for The Voice Australia are scheduled to start in February 2012, with live shows due to air around April.

Australian singer Anthony Callea recently revealed that he would "love" to be a judge on the competition, adding that he would also like to see Vanessa Amorosi as a mentor on the series.

Watch Javier Colon, who won The Voice this year in the US, performing on the show below: