Who is The Repair Shop's Jay Blades?
Everything you need to know about the furniture restorer and presenter.
When daytime series The Repair Shop debuted on BBC Two in 2017, few could have predicted how popular the heirloom-fixing show – and its host Jay Blades – would become.
The upholsterer-turned-TV-presenter not only presents the much-loved repair show, which moved to a prime time slot on BBC One in 2019, but is now also the face of spin-off show The Repair Shop: Fixing Britain, which takes a deeper look into certain repairs to examine how items shape the way we live now.
With The Repair Shop: Fixing Britain airing every afternoon, you're bound to see Jay Blades a fair amount throughout the week – but who exactly is he?
Here's everything you need to know about the furniture restorer and Repair Shop host.
Who is Jay Blades?
Wolverhampton-based Jay Blades is furniture restorer and TV presenter, best known for hosting The Repair Shop on BBC One.
Originally from Hackney, Blades left school at 15 with no qualifications but eventually enrolled in Bucks University to study criminology and philosophy before discovering furniture restoration was his true vocation.
The "mainly self-taught craftsman" now runs Jay&Co, a business which sources vintage furniture and hoe accessories in order to turn them into contemporary design pieces.
He co-founded High Wycombe-based charity Out of the Dark, which taught young people how to re-work old pieces of furniture, as well as Street Dreams, a youth charity which developed a number of community projects in the Buckinghamshire area.
Blades was previously married to Jade Blades, whom he met at university, however five years ago, the couple divorced. The pair share a daughter named Zoya together.
The furniture aficionado now lives in Wolverhampton with his partner Christine.
Where have I seen Jay Blades before?
In addition to The Repair Shop, Jay Blades is known for presenting BBC One's Money for Nothing – a show which takes discarded items from council refuse collection sites and turns them into desirable items with the help of a designer.
The furniture restorer also competed on the 2018 series of Celebrity MasterChef as well as Richard Osman's House of Games. He has also appeared on Would I Lie To You.
Blades will also front a new DIY series, filmed during lockdown, aiming to show viewers how to be "a bit more handy at home". While there's no confirmed premiere date yet, the show will air every weekdays as part of BBC One's daytime lineup and will see Blades share simple tips on how to straighten a wonky shelf or perfect your painting technique.
The Repair Shop: Fixing Britain airs weekdays at 4.30pm. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV guide.
