The Repair Shop presenter Jay Blades has been charged with engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour against his wife, West Mercia Police have confirmed. The 54-year-old appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court on Friday, 13 September, and was bailed to appear at Worcester Crown Court on 11 October for a plea and trial preparation hearing.
The charge relates to his fitness instructor wife, Lisa Zbozen, who announced on Instagram on 2 May that their relationship was over. According to court documents, the charge involves one count of controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship.
The BBC has taken steps to remove a programme featuring Blades from its Friday evening schedule following the charge. A source at the broadcaster said Blades is not a BBC employee and the charge is unrelated to his work. The seventh episode of the first series of David & Jay's Touring Toolshed, which features Blades alongside David Jason, was pulled from the schedule.
Blades rose to fame on the BBC restoration programme The Repair Shop, where members of the public bring damaged heirlooms to be restored by experts. He has also appeared in a Channel 4 documentary with Dame Judi Dench and a BBC documentary about his journey learning to read at age 51.
A BBC spokesperson said it would not be appropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.
