The Repair Shop star Jay Blades has shared a new photo of his 17-year-old daughter Zola – and she looks so grown up!
Taking to Instagram, the presenter posted a snap of his daughter beaming at the camera whilst rocking a black leather jacket. In the caption, Jay penned: "THOUGHT OF THE DAY
"It's ALL ABOUT SMILING, trust me it really does make things better. When was the last time you did some of that exercise?"
Fans were quick to heap praise on the teenager, whom Jay shares with his ex-wife. One person wrote: "Great thought of the day! I smile each and every day your posts always make me smile. Fabulous post and photo of your daughter she is stunning," while another added: "Beautiful young lady."
A third person commented: "You have a beautiful daughter Jay."
While Jay, who is also a father to two sons, likes to keep his children out of the spotlight, he sometimes shares photos of Zola on social media.
© InstagramBack in June, Jay celebrated his daughter's 17th birthday by sharing a professional photo of Zola on Instagram. "Please join me in wishing my beautiful daughter @zola.blades a Very Happy Birthday, 17 today WOW," he penned in the caption, adding: "Love you Baby."
Earlier this year, Jay attended the Royal Television Society Awards after The Repair Shop was nominated for a gong. While the show didn't win, the 53-year-old was glad to have spent some quality time with his daughter. "Last night @therepairshoptv didn't win but I got a chance to spend some time with my Beautiful Daughter, which makes me a winner every day, seeing her grow is all the awards I need," Jay wrote alongside a sweet mirror selfie of the father and daughter.
As well as Zola, Jay also shares sons, Levi, 32, and Dior, 28, from previous relationships.
The TV star has previously opened up about fatherhood and how his own upbringing impacted his parenting journey.
Jay welcomed his first child, Levi, when he was just 20 years old and left his then-girlfriend, Maria, after one year. "I wasn't ready, plain and simple," he explained on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, adding: "I think I stayed with her for about a year and that was it."
Jay explained that his father was responsible for his mindset after he "disappeared with the money" and left his mother Barbara to "make her own way" when Jay was young.
© David Fisher/Shutterstock for NTA"If you don't see something, you have to be taught how to do it," he continued.
Opening up about his difficult relationship with his father on This Morning in 2022, Jay explained that the pair don't keep in touch.
"The way I see it is, if you've got a mechanic who never fixes a car, you can't call him a mechanic. To have the title as a father or a dad, you have to have some of those responsibilities along with it," said the presenter.
"So that's why I call him 'The man who contributed towards my birth' because that's what he did. Nothing else apart from that," he added.
