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Jay Blades

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Not to be confused with James Blades.
Jay Blades
MBE
Born
Jason Blades

(1970-02-21) 21 February 1970 (age 54)
Brent, London, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationFurniture restorer • television personality
Years active2017–
Known forThe Repair Shop
Money for Nothing
Jay Blades' Home Fix
Spouse(s)
Jade
​
(divorced)​

Lisa Zbozen
​
​
(m. 2022; sep. 2024)​
[1]
Children3[2]

Jason Blades MBE (born 21 February 1970)[3][4] is an English furniture restorer and television presenter.[5][6]

Early life

[edit]

Blades was born in Brent, North London[7] and raised in Hackney, East London with his mother and maternal half-brother.[8][6] As an adult, he learned that his father had 25 other children, from different mothers, in a number of countries.[6] He has dyslexia, which was not diagnosed at school.[6] He says that he experienced racism at school and from the police.[6] In September 2022 Blades appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs and said that his childhood had been "blighted by racism and violence".[9][10]

As a young man, he worked as a labourer and in factories.[6]

He enrolled in Buckinghamshire New University as a mature student to study criminology.[6][11] It was only then, aged 31, that he was diagnosed with the reading ability of an 11-year old.[12]

During the early 2010s, roughly between 2012 and 2013, Blades was involved in the running of a children's club known as "Men Behaving Dadly",[13] a weekend playgroup aimed at young children and their fathers. It took place at Bedfont[14] and Chiswick[15] children's centres.

Career

[edit]

Blades and his then wife, Jade,[16] set up a charity based in High Wycombe, Out of the Dark, to train disadvantaged young people in furniture restoration.[6] The charity lost funding, their marriage broke down, and he became homeless.[6] He was supported by friends and by the Caribbean community.[6] Around the same time, television producers saw a short film about the charity which led to his work as a presenter.[6] He moved to Wolverhampton and established Jay & Co, a social enterprise to support disadvantaged and disengaged groups.[17]

In 2021, Blades became trustee of a charity founded by singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock, The Black Fund. They had met years previously when Blades ran a youth club and choir which Pinnock, then 14 years old, joined.[12]

He also released a memoir in that year, entitled Making It: How Love, Kindness and Community Helped Me Repair My Life, published by Pan Macmillan UK.[18]

Blades was appointed co-chair of the Heritage Crafts Association in August 2022.[19]

Television

[edit]

Blades is best known for presenting The Repair Shop, Money for Nothing and Jay Blades' Home Fix, and co-presenting Jay and Dom's Home Fix.[20][21]

He has also appeared on Would I Lie to You?, Celebrity Masterchef, Richard Osman's House of Games, Michael McIntyre's The Wheel, and The Graham Norton Show.[22][23]

In August 2021 Blades filmed a documentary programme for BBC One, Jay Blades: Learning to Read at 51, depicting his recent attempts, with the support of the charity Read Easy UK, to improve his literacy.[12] He danced with Luba Mushtuk in the 2021 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special. In May 2022 he appeared in a three-part series on Channel 5 revisiting the area he grew up in, and interviewing childhood friends, experts, and witnesses to history. Jay Blades: No Place Like Home featured locations such as Ridley Road Market (the history of anti-fascist action in the 1940s), Newington Green Unitarian Church (slavery and abolitionism), the Pellici cafe (the Kray twins and gangsterism), and the site of the First World War bombing by airship.

In October 2022 Blades was the lead presenter for the edition of The Repair Shop which featured King Charles III.[24][25]

In June 2023 Channel 4 commissioned Britain’s Best Beach Huts, which Blades co-presented with Laura Jackson.[26] The series aired during June and July 2023.[27] Also in June 2023, Blades presented Jay Blades' East End Through Time; a three-part documentary series shown on Channel 5,[28] which was followed by The Midlands Through Time in October.[29]

During early 2024, Blades and Sir David Jason presented David & Jay's Touring Toolshed; a fifteen-part restoration series on BBC2.[30] During June 2024 Channel 5 aired Jay Blades: The West End Through Time; a sequel to Jay Blades' East End Through Time.[31] In July 2024 it was reported that Blades was to present Jay Blades: A Country House Through Time (working title), an upcoming four-part Channel 5 documentary series.[32] In August 2024 Blades featured with Dame Judi Dench in a Channel 4 programme called Dame Judi and Jay: The Odd Couple.[33]

Personal life

[edit]

Blades lives in Claverley, Shropshire,[34] having previously lived in Ironbridge.[17] He has a daughter from his first marriage and two sons from previous relationships. Blades married his second wife, Lisa Zbozen, in Barbados in November 2022.[16][6][11][35][36] In May 2024, the couple separated.[37]

In September 2024, Blades was charged with controlling and coercive behaviour against Zbozen, including physical and emotional abuse.[38] Blades revealed, shortly before, that his uncle Richard Brathwaite had been killed. In a post to his fans, Blades said his uncle's death had "really affected" him and announced a break from social media. He told The Independent he was planning to seek counselling.[39] Blades appeared at Worcester Crown Court on 11 October 2024 and entered a "not guilty" plea. The judge confirmed that an exclusion zone regarding Blades' wife would remain in force.[40]

Honours

[edit]

Blades was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours, for services to craft.[41][42]

In May 2022, it was announced that Blades would be appointed as the first Chancellor of Buckinghamshire New University.[43][44] At his formal investiture in March 2023, the university awarded him an honorary degree "for his significant contribution to furniture-making and crafts and community work".[45][46] Blades resigned from the position in September 2024.[47]

Books

[edit]
  • Making It: How Love, Kindness and Community Helped Me Repair My Life (Bluebird Books, 2021) ISBN 9781529059199
  • DIY with Jay: How to Repair and Refresh Your Home (Bluebird Books, 2022) ISBN 9781529091281
  • Life Lessons: Wisdom and Wit from Life's Ups and Downs (Bluebird Books, 2023) ISBN 9781035010110

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The Repair Shop's Jay Blades marries Lisa-Marie Zbozen in Barbados ceremony". Digital Spy. 5 December 2022.
  2. ^ Murphy, Nichola (26 September 2022). "The Repair Shop's Jay Blades 'wasn't ready' to be a father". Hello!.
  3. ^ Blades, Jay [@Jay_n_Co] (21 February 2020). "Thought of the Day
    Good morning all, I'm 50 today and I wanted to post this photo with my head down, (don't worry I'm not sad) I'm doing this as a mark of respect to Everyone, that got me here. 🙏🏽 Thank You. 😊
    #happybirthdaytoyouall"     (Tweet). Retrieved 11 September 2020 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ Jones, Emma (19 April 2020). "Jay Blades' degree in criminology led him on path to star in The Repair Shop". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Furniture dealer turned TV star Jay Blades chats about his style in Wolverhampton". Shropshire Star. 18 August 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Saner, Emine (7 September 2020). "'I spent a long time being this macho man': Jay Blades on love, loss and the liberating power of tears". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  7. ^ Stephenson, Hannah (22 May 2021). "Jay Blades on mending his life and his High Wycombe roots". Bucks Free Press.
  8. ^ Blades, Jay (27 July 2021). Making It: How Love, Kindness and Community Helped Me Repair My Life. Pan Macmillan UK. ISBN 9781760987633.
  9. ^ Whitfield, Tony (25 September 2022). "Jay Blades says Repair Shop fixed him after his difficult childhood". Daily Express.
  10. ^ "Desert Island Discs - Eight things we learned from Jay Blades's Desert Island Discs". BBC Radio 4.
  11. ^ a b "The Repair Shop's Jay Blades reveals incredible story discovering he has 25 siblings". MSN. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  12. ^ a b c Robertson, Dominic (10 August 2021). "Jay Blades: Why I have taken on challenge of reading at 51". Shropshire Star. p. 8.
  13. ^ Blades, Jay (May 2013). "Post by Jay Blades". Facebook. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Inspection report for Bedfont Children's Centre". Ofsted. October 2012. Archived from the original on 18 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Men Behaving Dadly, W4". Motherhood. 2012. Archived from the original on 18 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Exclusive: The Repair Shop's Jay Blades marries Lisa Zbozen in romantic Barbados wedding". 4 December 2022.
  17. ^ a b Harvey, Ian (12 June 2021). "MBE for Repair Shop presenter Jay Blades in Queen's Birthday Honours". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  18. ^ Kilner, Lara (16 May 2021). "Jay Blades: "People always ask, 'why are there no black people on the Repair Shop?'"". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  19. ^ "Jay Blades MBE and David Clarke become Co-Chairs". 31 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  20. ^ "Jay and Dom's Home Fix". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  21. ^ Adams, Tim (18 September 2022). "Jay Blades: 'I talk a lot about black history, but I also love black future'". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  22. ^ "BBC - Celebrity MasterChef fires up the ovens for another hot summer - Media Centre".
  23. ^ "Richard Osman's House of Games, Series 3, Episode 26". BBC. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  24. ^ Barr, Sabrina (27 October 2022). "The Repair Shops' Jay Blades defends 'breaking royal protocol' with King Charles". Metro.
  25. ^ Daly, Charlotte (27 October 2022). "Social media goes wild for King Charles III's presenting skills on The Repair Shop". Country Living.
  26. ^ "Yeti finds Britain's Best Beach Huts for Channel 4". channel4.com/press. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  27. ^ "Britain's Best Beach Huts". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  28. ^ "Jay Blades' East End Through Time". channel5.com. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  29. ^ Platt, Poppie (11 October 2023). "Jay Blades: The Midlands Through Time, review: more than a Peaky Blinders punchline". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  30. ^ "Sir David Jason and Jay Blades MBE's Touring Toolshed commissioned for BBC Two and iPlayer". bbc.com/mediacentre. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  31. ^ "Jay Blades: The West End Through Time, review: a treasure trove of trivia to delight pub-quizzers". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  32. ^ "C5 visits A Country House Through Time". c21media.net/news. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  33. ^ "Dame Judi and Jay: The Odd Couple". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  34. ^ Watts, Matt (13 September 2024). "The Repair Shop presenter Jay Blades charged with engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour". The Evening Standard.
  35. ^ Buxton, Olivia (31 March 2020). "Repair Shop's Jay Blades". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  36. ^ Youngs, Ian (1 April 2020). "From repairing lives to hosting The Repair Shop". BBC News. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  37. ^ Delaney, By Zoe (2 May 2024). "Jay Blades' wife 'grabbed things and left' as marriage to BBC star 'got worse'". The Mirror. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  38. ^ Topping, Alexandra (13 September 2024). "Jay Blades charged with engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  39. ^ Stolworthy, Jacob (11 May 2024). "Jay Blades steps away from BBC series The Repair Shop". The Independent. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  40. ^ Tanya Gupta, 'TV host Jay Blades denies coercive behaviour'. BBC News, 11 October 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  41. ^ "No. 63377". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2021. p. B15.
  42. ^ "Birthday Honours 2021: MBE for Repair Shop's Jay Blades". BBC News. 11 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  43. ^ "BNU graduate Jay Blades MBE appointed as Buckinghamshire New University's first Chancellor". Buckinghamshire New University. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023.
  44. ^ "Jay Blades appointed first chancellor of Buckinghamshire New University". BBC News. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  45. ^ Iorizzo, Ellie (1 March 2023). "Jay Blades made chancellor of former university and receives honorary doctorate". The Independent. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  46. ^ "Our Chancellor: Jay Blades MBE". Buckinghamshire New University. Archived from the original on 2 September 2024.
  47. ^ Burleigh, Eleanor (13 September 2024). "BBC's Jay Blades resigns as chancellor of Bucks New Uni". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
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