How The Repair Shop will go on without Jay Blades: Presenter’s co-stars are ‘hard at work’ on new series as he ‘takes break’ and ‘were shocked’ to hear about his marriage breakdown

Jay Blades’ now estranged wife, Lisa-Marie Zbozen, sensationally announced last week that she had left him amid a time of personal crisis for the star.

Fitness instructor Lisa walked out on Jay last weekend, saying their 18-month marriage “just got worse and worse until I packed a bag with a few things and left.”

And just a week before his divorce was confirmed, Jay revealed that his uncle Richard Brathwaite had been murdered.

It all came as Jay, 54, was expected to be back filming hugely popular BBC show The Repair Shop but was reportedly absent from set this week as he ‘takes a break’ from TV.

According to a new report, the filming has now been thrown into chaos due to his absence.

Jay continues to star in the current series – series 13 – with the fourth episode airing on Wednesday, May 15. There will be 25 episodes of the series. MailOnline has approached the BBC for comment.

His co-stars – fellow furniture restorers, watchmakers, metalworkers, ceramicists, upholsterers – would now be ‘hard at work’ without him on the show.

These include horologist Steven Fletcher, who has been with the show since the beginning and is The Repair Shop’s clock expert, and his sister leather expert Suzie Fletcher.

A source said this The sun: ‘Jay has taken a step back and is on a break while filming The Repair Shop. Due to the murder of his uncle in March and the breakdown of his marriage, he decided to take a break.’

‘The Repair Shop will continue to operate without him for the time being and the other repairers are hard at work. People who worked with Jay said they were shocked to hear that his marriage to Lisa had ended.

“It wasn’t well known at all among the people working on the show.”

Jay’s absence has also halted filming of The Repair Shop’s Christmas special, which was supposed to be completed this week.

Last week the Mail On Sunday revealed that the furniture restorer and host had told bosses he would not be able to take part in the planned recording, raising ‘genuine fears’ that the special episode might not be completed.

Filming had already started at the Weald & Downland Living Museum in Chichester when Jay pulled out, sources revealed on the popular BBC programme, with work suddenly suspended last Monday.

One told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It’s become really problematic. It’s been very difficult for Jay. His relationship imploded last weekend and he clearly didn’t feel like he could work.

“He’s known as a professional, so if he has to do this, it means things must be bad. He must have had a pretty terrible time.’

There are now concerns that the festive episode of The Repair Shop, which is regularly watched by 7 million viewers and has previously featured the King, may not be completed. One staff member said: ‘None of the bosses have told us if filming will go ahead.’

Lisa announced in the early hours of Thursday that she had ended her marriage to Blades in a surprising social media post.

She wrote, “I don’t know how to say this because it’s still very raw. I should probably 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 have to admit I’m crying as I type this because I can’t believe this is even real. I hope you don’t mind if I take a few days to make sense of my life, as I’m currently stuck in a spare room with a few essentials. I don’t know what else to say. All my love, a very heartbroken Lisa-Marie.”

The couple tied the knot in an intimate beachside 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 immediate family there, the weather held up and everything went so well.”

It is understood Blades is currently at the marital home in Shropshire, while Mrs Zbozen, 44, is staying with her sister in Nottinghamshire.

News of his divorce came just after Blades announced he would be taking time away from social media to deal with 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 the murder took place following a ‘long-running neighbor dispute’.

Dad-of-three Blades shot to fame overnight when The Repair Shop launched seven years ago and was awarded an OBE in 2021 for manufacturing his services.

He met Charles – then Prince of Wales – when he and his team visited Dumfries House in Scotland to mark the BBC’s 100th anniversary and were asked to repair a clock and a vase.

Charles had become king by the time the show was shown and viewers noted how the pair had built a strong bond.

Blades later said, “He’s just a normal guy. He’s fine. He’s my rich friend. He runs the country!’

Before Lisa, he was married to Jade, whom he met in college. They have a 17 year old daughter.