Dominic Chinea, the metalwork specialist on BBC's The Repair Shop, has 'admitted defeat' on a cherished restoration project. The star, who has been on the show for nine years, has had to put restoring a Series 1 Land Rover on the back burner due to his busy schedule.
In a YouTube video titled 'Difficult Decision', Chinea explained that although he would prefer to repair the original rear tub himself, he currently lacks the time. He has 'taken the easy route' and purchased a replacement part, reports Cornwall Live.
Filming commitments and a crumbling workshop
Chinea revealed that he is currently filming two television programmes, which is 'taking me all over the country'. His YouTube channel has amassed 180,000 subscribers. Despite juggling numerous commitments, he insists he won't abandon the Land Rover, saying he's 'determined' to have it operational in the near future.
He has dedicated the past five months to the project whenever he can find a spare moment. In the video, he said: 'I've been working on this series one Land Rover for over five months now in any spare time that I've got.'
'And let's be honest, I don't have that much free time. I have a full time job filming TV shows and at the moment I am bang in the middle of filming two shows which are taking me all over the country.'
'Any spare time I have I come to the workshop and chip away to try and make progress on that Land Rover. But look around me. As I'm sure a lot of you are aware, I am overwhelmed with projects. I have got quite a collection of vehicles in need at the top end of the workshop.'
New home in Cornwall
The Repair Shop star recently relocated from Kent to Cornwall with his wife Maria and their dog Wendy, settling into a run-down farmhouse close to the village of Molehouse in the far west of the county. While enjoying his new surroundings, the move hasn't been without its hurdles.
He discussed one of the reasons he is postponing the project is because his property is 'falling apart'. He stated: 'The building I'm in, my workshop, is crumbling around me. The holes in the roof are getting worse and worse every day.'
'I've got more puddling clay waiting to go into the pond, which I really want to get sealed up and full. And you haven't even seen the inside of the house yet. The house is also falling apart around me. So I have got a huge amount going on here constantly.'
