Friday, November 22, 2024

Another Jay Blades show is pulled by TV bosses as The Repair Shop star faces charge of controlling and coercive behaviour towards his estranged wife

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TV bosses have pulled another Jay Blades show after The Repair Shop host was charged with controlling and coercive behaviour towards his estranged wife.

Blades, 54, appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday morning after being charged by West Mercia Police with one count of engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship.

According to court documents, the charge relates to his fitness instructor wife Lisa Zbozen, who said on Instagram in May that their relationship was over. The couple married in the grounds of a beachfront villa in Barbados on November 22, 2022.

Following the news, Channel 5 appear to have removed his programme Jay Blades: The West End Through Time from their streaming service.

The two-part series followed Jay as he explored the origins of the West End and delved into the capital’s past by speaking with historians and local cabbies to engage in the area’s evolution. 

TV bosses have pulled another Jay Blades show after The Repair Shop host was charged with controlling and coercive behaviour towards his estranged wife

Blades, 54, appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court yesterday morning charged with one count of engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship. Pictured: Blades and his now-estranged wife Lisa Zbozen at the 28th National Television Awards last year

Blades, 54, appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday morning charged with one count of engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship. Pictured: Blades and his now-estranged wife Lisa Zbozen at the 28th National Television Awards last year

Following the news, Channel 5 appear to have removed his programme Jay Blades: The West End Through Time from their streaming service as the 'watch' button no longer works

Following the news, Channel 5 appear to have removed his programme Jay Blades: The West End Through Time from their streaming service as the ‘watch’ button no longer works

Jay Blades and Lisa Zbozen married at a beachfront villa in Barbados on November 22, 2022

Jay Blades and Lisa Zbozen married at a beachfront villa in Barbados on November 22, 2022

It comes after the BBC dropped a repeat from yesterday’s schedule of David & Jay’s Touring Toolshed, in which Blades appears with actor Sir David Jason.

The episode had been due to air on BBC One at 8pm yesterday evening but was swiftly replaced by a ‘shortened version’ of Charlie Dimmock‘s show Garden Rescue.

MailOnline understands the BBC is currently further reviewing its schedules but episodes of David & Jay’s Touring Toolshed are still available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

A BBC spokesperson said: ‘It would not be appropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.’

Blades was last on air on The Repair Shop on Wednesday. The show was nominated for the National Television Awards, which took place on the same night.

The Repair Shop won the award for best daytime show at last year’s event – but was beaten this year by The Chase.

The broadcaster had announced Blades as part of a new The Repair Shop tour, just hours before he was charged for controlling and coercive behaviour towards his wife.

The Repair Shop – Secrets From The Barn tour 2025, is due to see Blades and other experts from the show appearing around the country from February, including in Newcastle, Birmingham, Sheffield and Salford. Tickets are still on sale for upwards of £40.

The BBC dropped a repeat from yesterday's schedule of David & Jay's Touring Toolshed, in which Blades appears with actor Sir David Jason
They replaced it with a 'shortened version' of Charlie Dimmock 's show Garden Rescue

Slide to see: The BBC dropped a repeat from yesterday’s schedule of David & Jay’s Touring Toolshed, in which Blades appears with actor Sir David Jason, and replaced it with a ‘shortened version’ of Charlie Dimmock ‘s show Garden Rescue

The BBC had announced Blades as part of a new The Repair Shop tour, just hours before he was charged for controlling and coercive behaviour towards his wife

The BBC had announced Blades as part of a new The Repair Shop tour, just hours before he was charged for controlling and coercive behaviour towards his wife 

BBC star Jay Blades appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court yesterday morning (file image)

BBC star Jay Blades appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday morning (file image)

In July, Blades reportedly landed a new Channel 5 show Jay Blades’ Country Homes Through Time but the status of the upcoming show is now unknown in light of his charges. MailOnline has contacted Channel 5 for comment.

The charge sheet against Blades revealed the charges relate to a period between January 1, 2023 – just 40 days after he married Lisa – and September 12 this year.

The presenter will appear at Worcester Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing on October 11.

After the news of his charges yesterday, Buckinghamshire New University revealed Blades had resigned from his role as its chancellor ‘with immediate effect’, having been appointed in May 2022.

Blades's wife Lisa Zbozen, a fitness instructor, posted this photograph on Instagram on Friday

Blades’s wife Lisa Zbozen, a fitness instructor, posted this photograph on Instagram on Friday

Jay Blades (left) has been charged with offences against his estranged wife Lisa Zbozen (right)

Jay Blades (left) has been charged with offences against his estranged wife Lisa Zbozen (right)

Blades found fame on the BBC restoration programme The Repair Shop, which sees members of the public take worn-out family heirlooms to be restored by a team of experts

Blades found fame on the BBC restoration programme The Repair Shop, which sees members of the public take worn-out family heirlooms to be restored by a team of experts 

Blades left school at 15 with no qualifications but got back on track studying for a degree in criminology and philosophy at Buckinghamshire New University from 2001.

Following his graduation, Blades co-founded the Out of the Dark charitable social enterprise that recycled and revamped furniture to train, educate and employ young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

And he found fame on the BBC restoration programme The Repair Shop – which sees members of the public take worn-out family heirlooms to be restored by a team of experts – starring on the show since its launch in 2017.

In 2022, a special one-off episode to mark the BBC’s centenary saw Blades and the repair team visit the King, when he was still the Prince of Wales, at Dumfries House in Scotland.

In 2022, a special one-off episode to mark the BBC's centenary saw Jay Blades and the repair team visit the King, when he was still the Prince of Wales, at Dumfries House in Scotland

In 2022, a special one-off episode to mark the BBC’s centenary saw Jay Blades and the repair team visit the King, when he was still the Prince of Wales, at Dumfries House in Scotland

Blades appeared in a Channel 4 documentary last month about his friendship with actress Dame Judi Dench, called 'Dame Judi and Jay: The Odd Couple'

Blades appeared in a Channel 4 documentary last month about his friendship with actress Dame Judi Dench, called ‘Dame Judi and Jay: The Odd Couple’

During The Repair Shop: A Royal Visit, a bracket clock and a piece made for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee by British ceramics maker Wemyss Ware were both fixed – and the broadcast later won a daytime Bafta TV award.

Blades was made an MBE by Charles in May 2022 for services to craft and in recognition of his work promoting heritage craft and restoration in the UK.

He was later invited to the King’s Coronation at Westminster Abbey in May last year.

Blades is a trustee of the Heritage Crafts Association, a charity which aims to safeguard craft skills, of which the King is patron.

And Blades appeared in a Channel 4 documentary last month about his friendship with actress Dame Judi Dench, called ‘Dame Judi and Jay: The Odd Couple’.

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