Filming on The Repair Shop’s Christmas special has been brought to a halt by the collapse of Jay Blades’ marriage.
The production has been plunged into chaos after the furniture restorer and host told bosses he would not be able to take part in last week’s planned recording, sparking ‘genuine fears’ the show may not be finished.
Filming had already begun at the Weald & Downland Living Museum in Chichester when 54-year-old Blades pulled out, sources on the hit BBC programme revealed, with work suddenly put on hold last Monday.
Fitness instructor Lisa-Marie Zbozen walked out on Blades last weekend, saying their 18-month marriage ‘just got worse and worse, until I grabbed a bag of a few things and I left’.
Now, The Repair Shop staff are waiting to be told whether they will be required to return to work tomorrow.
Jay Blades’ marriage split has stopped production of The Repair Shop’s Christmas Special
One told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It has become really problematic. Things have been really difficult for Jay. His relationship imploded last weekend and clearly he didn’t feel like he could work.
‘He is known to be a pro, so for him to have to do this means that things must be bad. He must be having a pretty awful time.’
There are now concerns that the festive episode of The Repair Shop, which is regularly watched by 7 million viewers and previously featured the King as a guest, may not be finished. One staff member said: ‘None of the bosses have told us if filming is going to continue.’
Ms Zbozen announced that she had ended her marriage with Blades with a surprise post on social media in the early hours of Thursday.
She wrote: ‘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. I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much.
‘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.’
The couple tied the knot in an intimate beachfront wedding in Barbados in 2022, with just 15 guests. Blades 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.’
It is understood that Blades is currently at the marital home in Shropshire while Ms Zbozen, 44, is staying with her sister in Nottinghamshire.
Blades informed the programme he would not be able to take part in the planned recording following his break with wife Lisa
News of his split came just after Blades announced that he would be taking time away from social media to process his grief following the death of his uncle, Richard Brathwaite, 72, who was stabbed to death on a quiet residential street in North London in March. The Old Bailey has heard that the killing came after a ‘long-running neighbour dispute’.
Father-of-three Blades found overnight fame when The Repair Shop launched seven years ago and in 2021 he was given an OBE for his services to craft.
He rubbed shoulders with Charles – then still Prince of Wales – when he and his team visited Dumfries House in Scotland to mark 100 years of the BBC and were asked to fix a clock and a vase.
Charles had become King by the time the show was screened and viewers noted how the pair had built up a strong rapport.
Blades said later: ‘He’s just a normal geezer. He’s alright. He’s my rich friend. He runs the country!’
Before Lisa, he was married to Jade, whom he met at university. They have a 17-year-old daughter.
