Jay Blades, the former presenter of BBC's The Repair Shop, has been charged with two counts of rape, police have confirmed. The 55-year-old, from Claverley in Shropshire, is due to appear at Telford Magistrates' Court on 13 August 2025.
In a separate development, Blades appeared at Worcester Crown Court via video link on Tuesday for a preliminary hearing related to a charge of controlling or coercive behaviour. He denied the charge, which relates to his estranged wife, Lisa-Marie Zbozen, between 1 January 2023 and 12 September last year.
Blades rose to fame as the face of The Repair Shop, a primetime BBC show where members of the public bring damaged family heirlooms to be restored by experts. His journey from furniture maker to television personality began after TV producers discovered him through a short film about Out of the Dark, a charity he co-founded that taught young people furniture restoration.
Raised in Hackney, east London, Blades received an MBE in 2021. He stepped back from presenting The Repair Shop in 2024, according to the BBC.
