A new season of The Repair Shop is just around the corner and with its return comes a slew of fan favorites.
Suzie Fletcher, a leather and saddle expert, quickly became popular after joining her brother Steve in the show’s second season.
Steve shared a similar career path as his father and grandfather, specializing in watchmaking, but Suzie chose a different route.
She has more than five decades of experience in leatherworking and saddlery.
With another season of The Repair Shop airing, MailOnline takes a look at the TV presenter’s life.
Resident learning expert Suzie Fletcher is making a comeback for a new season along with her fellow experts
As the bubbly saddle expert returns to our screens, MailOnline takes a look at the life of Suzie Fletcher
Abusive marriage
Although Suzie was married in her 20s, she was head over heels when she met her late husband James Allen Baker in her early 30s.
She made the move just three months after seeing her husband for the first time, but the honeymoon didn’t last long.
Writing for the Mail On Sunday, the TV presenter recalled how their relationship took a turn for the worse when they moved to their third home together in Colorado.
In public, Suzie has always given James the alias of Rob, but recently MailOnline revealed his true identity.
When their neighbor came to visit their new house, James started showing off how he was going to hang centerfolds of naked women in his ‘man cave’.
Suzie wrote: ‘When we visited my family in England, American-born James was shocked by the pornography for sale on the top shelves of newsagents.
‘But today, in front of the neighbor, he was talking about how there were posters of naked women on the walls.
‘It was as if he was trying to make me feel bad about myself by belittling me and damaging my self-confidence.’
Annoyed and upset, Suzie recalled slamming the door in frustration because her husband was accidentally hit.
She said: ‘The door scraped his toes and ripped off a layer of skin. A terrifying roar came from him.
‘He was in a lot of pain, but I will never forget the pure anger on his face. I knew I was in trouble.
‘I ran to the hall and he came after me. But I had run in the wrong direction, a place from which there was no escape. I was cornered.
‘Then he grabbed me under my throat with his forearm. Rob had once been a competitive wrestler, so he knew the move well. It was easy for him to lift me up until my feet no longer touched the carpet.
She continued, “I really thought I was going to die. He strangled me and could have easily killed me. I don’t know why, but he finally let go.’
Reflecting on other incidents when her late husband became violent, Suzie noted that James’ mood often worsened the more he drank.
Suzie’s abusive late husband James Allen Baker (pictured) – referred to in her book by the alias Rob – once held her in the air by her throat
Life after grief
James died suddenly of pancreatic cancer in 2013. The death came as a shock to the entire family, as no one knew he was ill.
The presenter recalled an emotional conversation with her husband prior to his death, recalling that he hoped their marriage “wasn’t all bad.”
After his death, Suzie had no intention of starting a new relationship and focused much of her energy on her creative skills.
Saying this, she brought “joy and confidence” to The Repair Shop, adding: “I don’t think any of this would have been possible without such a caring group of people around me.”
Her husband, an oilfield worker from Eaton, Colorado, died of pancreatic cancer at age 52. Suzie has not had another relationship since
Dyslexia problems at school
Her marital problems weren’t the only problems the saddler faced as she revealed on BBC Woman’s Hour in 2023 that she found school difficult because of her dyslexia.
She didn’t call herself “terribly smart” because of her dyslexia and said that without her creative streak she would have “suffered a lot emotionally.”
Promoting her memoir The Sun Over Mountains, the presenter shared with host Krupa Thakrar Padhy that she didn’t feel “terribly good” about herself as a youngster because she was never seen as academic.
Reflecting on her time in full-time education, unbeknownst to teachers, Suzie struggled daily with undiagnosed dyslexia.
Suzie added: “So I grew up thinking I wasn’t very smart.
Time spent with horses gave the presenter an outlet to feel better about herself.
In her memoirs, Suzie said she became interested in animals from a young age.
She explained: “My father always joked that ‘horse’ was the first word I spoke. I was obsessed with these huge, powerful creatures from the earliest age.
‘So it was no surprise to anyone when, at the age of 16, I trained as a master saddler at Cordwainers College in London.’
Suzie also faced educational challenges as she dealt with her undiagnosed dyslexia every day at school
Mother’s postpartum depression
The TV host also has an older brother named Stevie, who is also a host of the popular daytime show.
In previous interviews, Suzie has often described her brother, with whom she grew up in Oxfordshire, as her ‘rock’.
In an interview with Relativelyshe shared that her parents had a major influence on both her and Steve’s career paths.
Their father was a hydrologist and their mother a very talented seamstress who could find her way in most designs.
Suzie also explained in the interview how their mother suffered from postpartum depression.
Suzie said: ‘I think it’s an incredible shame for my mother because of course they didn’t really realize how devastating it was at the time and the treatment they offered her was barbaric.
“When I look back on the whole thing, I feel even more appreciative of what they were able to do for us, considering what happened behind the scenes, because families obviously didn’t share.”
She and her brother Steve (pictured) have a very good bond, with Suzie often describing him as her ‘rock’.