JAY Blades’ future on the Repair Shop has been revealed after we reported the star was “taking a break” from the BBC show.
It came after we were first to report he is“cutting ties” with programme bosses amid his marriage split.
The fan-favourite, 54, was absent as filming on the BBC series resumed this week and now The Repair Show frontman will be “given time” to process and heal.
MailOnline reports how show bosses have carved out space for him to get his “head straight” after his split with fitness instructor Lisa Marie, 43.
A source told the publication: “Jay is a much-loved member of the team on The Repair Shop.
“It is a really close-knit group, who are like a family.
“Jay will be given the time he needs to deal with things and sort out what he needs to get sorted.
“He’s been through a really difficult time with his uncle and now he is having to deal with the breakdown of his marriage.
“The BBC fully expect Jay to return but they won’t be rushing or pushing him to come back before he is ready and he’ll be given the space to sort things out and get his head straight.”
Jay previously won an OBE for her services to craft, with his skills often showcased on the series.
The furniture restorer has been The Repair Shop’s lead presenter since its launch in 2017.
Sad split
In May Jay’s wife Lisa-Marie Zbozen has announced she had ended their marriage, confessing she’d “never cried so much.”
In a shock statement announcing their split, Lisa said she felt “broken”.
She added: “The world got the best parts of my husband. I got a whole lot of everything else.”
JAY AND LISA MARIE'S RELATIONSHIP
Jay got down on one knee with a ring he designed and was made by his co-star Richard Talman who works as a goldsmith on the show in 2021.
They tied the knot in a sunny Caribbean ceremony on November 2022 with just 15 guests attending.
Speaking to Hello! magazine about their special day, Jay, 52, said: “One word sums up the day: perfect.
“We had our closest family there, the weather held out and everything worked out so well.”
Lisa, 41, added: “Once you get to a certain age, you realise what’s actually important on the day – and that is having the people around you that love you for who you are.
“So we made the day our day.”
Jay was overcome with emotion during the ceremony.
The television presenter confessed: “I think the thing that was most emotional for me was actually saying the vows.
“It was almost like I had tunnel vision and I could only see Lisa there.
“And honestly, that’s when it really hit me. I was like, ‘We’re really getting married now!’. That’s the only time I really got emotional.”
Jay was previously married to his ex-wife Jade.
The pair, who split up in 2015, share daughter Zola, 15.
Writing in a statement, she added: “I wanted my husband to love me and keep me safe and I would love him right back.
“But it just got worse and worse, until I grabbed a bag of a few things & just left.”
Jay also revealed last month his uncle Richard Brathwaite had been killed.
He took a break from social media following the tragic incident, in which his family member was allegedly stabbed to death in March in Wembley, North West London.
