The Repair Shop future 'sealed' after 'struggling' Jay Blades takes break from BBC show

Jay Blades is reportedly to star in a new spin-off of the hugely popular show The Repair Shop, which will see him travel across the country to help give broken treasures the TLC they deserve for a new lease of life. The Repair Shop On The Road is expected to be filmed later this year, and will feature a focus on the tense work faced by Jay's team of restorers.

A source quoted in The Sun suggested: "This is a great vote of confidence in The Repair Shop’s presenter, even if it does see the limelight shift from him somewhat in this spin-off." They added: "It’s also another sign of just how successful the show has become in the seven years it’s been on our screens.”

The TV classic is usually filmed in the Weald and Downland Living Museum in West Sussex, but it will now be taken all over the country, to the delight of hardcore fans. It isn't the first tine that spin-offs or special editions of the show have taken place, with Comic Relief charity versions having also been screened.

One memorable episode filmed in 2022, A Royal Visit, also saw Jay and the team take care of King Charles. Then a Prince who was just two years away from being crowned, he brought in two historic items that had special significance to him, a broken clock and vase.

Meanwhile, the latest spin-off show is an indication that Jay is moving forwards with his life after a tough year so far. He announced his trauma after his 72-year-old uncle, Richard Brathwaite, was stabbed to death back in March, leading to him temporarily stepping back from both social media and the show.

He also appeared for more recent filming sessions without his wedding ring, following the announcement that he and wife Lisa Marie Zbozen had parted ways.

The split was announced after less than two years of marriage, with Lisa hinting at "unbearable pain" and revealing she'd "never cried so much".

She published a poem on her Instagram Stories, including the words: "It might be hard to believe, but you won't feel this way forever. Someday soon this pain you are feeling won't be so unbearable."

She'd previously lamented that "the world got the best parts of my husband and] I got a whole lot of everything else".

Lisa confirmed that she intended to receive counselling to come to terms with the split, while Jay has said he will be doing the same.

Admitting he'd also been left feeling "messed up" by his uncle's tear-jerking funeral and having to say his farewells to a "super nice guy", he explained: "Going to go and get some therapy and just chill out."

However, it looks as if the new spin-off show will be Jay's opportunity to make a triumphant comeback following the adversity.