The Repair Shop star Jay Blades is reportedly taking some ‘time out’ from TV work but the BBC show is set to continue without him for now
Jay Blades is reportedly taking a break from TV following the breakdown of his marriage and his uncle’s shock murder.
The 54-year-old is said to be taking a step back from his starring role in The Repair Shop but the hit BBC show is “carrying on without him for now” as filming for the new series got underway earlier this week.
It comes after the presenter suffering some setbacks in his personal life after his uncle Richard Braithwaite was reportedly ‘stabbed to death in the street’ by a neighbour near his London home in March over a long-standing dispute over a shared alleyway.
Jay explained how his 72-year-old uncle had been “murdered a few weeks ago” and the traumatic experience had left him in shock, but offered no further details regarding how his late loved one’s life was ended. His 71-year-old aunt Annetta is also thought to have sustained injuries, suffering cuts to her head and face. A man has since been charged with murder, wounding with intent and possession of a bladed article in a public place.
Then last week, Jay’s wife of 18 months, fitness influencer Lisa-Marie Zbozen, gave a shock statement saying she was leaving him and their “marriage is over”. In a statement shared online she said: “I don’t know how to say this because it’s still really raw. I probably should be really angry but I’m just incredibly sad about the whole thing right now.”
Lisa-Marie went on to say “I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much” as she admitted their marriage “just got worse and worse.” The 44-year-old added: “The world got the best parts of my husband and over time, I got a whole lot of everything else. I will admit I’m crying as I type this as I can’t believe this is even real. I hope you don’t mind if I just have a few days trying to figure out my life as I’m currently in a spare room with a few essentials. I don’t know what else to say. All my love, a very broken Lisa-Marie x.”
Jay and Lisa married in a lavish beachfront villa ceremony in Barbados in 2022 in front of just 15 guests. The furniture restorer and presenter, who has been married once before, told Hello! magazine at the time: “One word sums up the day: perfect. We had our closest family there, the weather held out and everything worked out so well.”
No further details about the breakdown of their relationship have been given, but following his no-show as filming for The Repair Shop started again in Sussex this week, a source told The Sun: “Jay has taken a step back and is having a break from filming The Repair Shop. His uncle’s murder in March and the breakdown of his marriage means he has decided to take some time out.”
The source continued: “The Repair Shop is carrying on without him for now and the other repairers are hard at work. People who worked with Jay said they were shocked to hear his marriage to Lisa has ended. It was not well known at all among the people who work on the show.” Before Lisa, Jay was previously married to ex-wife Jade, and the former couple share 15-year-old daughter Zola together, before splitting in 2015. He also has two other children from two previous relationships.
Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTubeand Threads
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us atwebcelebs@trinitymirror.com or call us direct 0207 29 33033
