Jay Blades has opened up about how The Repair Shop helped him find a "coping mechanism" for his dyslexia.
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The furniture restorer and presenter appeared on Lorraine Kelly's morning show to talk about his new documentary series, Jay Blades: Learning to Read at 51, and spoke about how literacy difficulties left him with the reading ability of an 11-year-old.
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When asked by Lorraine how he was able to manage his dyslexia as well as his inability to read, Jay said: "I think, as a dyslexic, you find those coping mechanisms. You find a way that works for you. At The Repair Shop, there's a lot of emails that come my way and I've never read them and it's just been a case where I just find a way of talking to people.
"So someone brings an item in and I just have a conversation with them. So you do find some superpowers. It depends on the type of job that you're doing."
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Jay also spoke about a heartbreaking experience he faced as a schoolchild when one of his teachers told him that he "wouldn't amount to anything". Explaining the instance to Lorraine, he said: "I must admit, it was one of those things where when it happened to me, it didn't really register. So, everybody's queuing up for the career's day where you find out what you want to be.
© Photo: InstagramJay appeared on Lorraine on Wednesday
"When it was my turn to come to the career's teacher, he just turned around and said to me, 'Blades, you're going to amount to nothing. Next,' and he just looked behind me. I didn't even get a chance to sit in the chair."
The popular presenter also revealed one of his motivations for learning to read. "I want to read my daughter a bedtime story," he said.
© Photo: BBCJay said he found coping mechanisms for his dyslexia at The Repair Shop
"She's 15 now, she might be married by the time I can do it fluid but I'm going to give it a go," he added.
Jay Blades: Learning to Read at 51 airs on Wednesday 26 January on BBC One at 9pm.
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