BBC ‘The Repair Shop’ host Jay Blades charged with domestic abuse

BBC‘s The Repair Shop host Jay Blades was charged with controlling and coercive behaviour against Lisa Zbozen, his estranged wife, on Friday (September 13).

Per The Times, Blades appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates Court to face the charges and is due to appear at Worcester Crown Court on October 11.

Yesterday’s episode of the hit crafting show – which sees members of the public bring in sentimental items to a team of experts to fix – was dropped from the schedule. A repeat of David and Jay’s Touring Toolshed, the crafting show in which Blades appears alongside actor David Jason, was scrapped from yesterday evening’s schedule.

Blades became a household name following his involvement in the show, which draws an estimated audience of 2.5 million viewers. With 300 episodes available to stream on the BBC’s catch-up service iPlayer, it’s been reported by The Times that those featuring Blades will remain in place.

In May, Blades’ split from his wife was made public after Zsoben took to Instagram to announce that she felt “broken” after their marriage ended.

Blades has not been scheduled to appear in next week’s edition of The Repair Shop, which is expected to air as planned.

As he shared on the Dish podcast earlier this year, Blades suffered a breakdown in 2015 after separating from his first wife, and at a time when he was struggling to keep his charity afloat. “Everything flopped for me,” he said. “The business, the relationship, everything.”

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