The Repair Shop star Jay Blades has been charged with engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour and appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, West Mercia Police have confirmed.
They told the BBC that the investigation was launched after being called on 3 May, saying: "Fifty-four-year-old Jason Blades of Claverley in Wolverhampton has been charged with controlling and coercive behaviour. He appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court this morning (Friday 13th September) and has been bailed to appear at Worcester Crown Court on Friday 11th October."
Although no information has been released about the reason behind the arrest, the investigation began days before his split from his wife Lisa-Marie Zbozen, after 18 months of marriage.
© David Fisher/Shutterstock for NTAAt the time of their split, she wrote: "I don't know how to say this because it's still really raw. I probably should be really angry, but I'm just incredibly sad about the whole thing right now. I don't think I've ever cried so much. I will admit I'm crying as I type this, as I can't believe this is even real.
"I hope you don't mind if I just have a few days trying to figure out my life, as I'm currently in a spare room with a few essentials. I don't know what else to say. All my love, a very broken Lisa-Marie."
© Richochet/BBCShortly after their split, Jay reportedly decided to take a break from filming The Repair Shop during challenges in his personal life, including the devastating news that his uncle, Richard Braithwaite, had been murdered.
Legal definition: controlling and coercive behaviour
© GettyWhile victims of domestic violence will typically display visible signs of their abuse, victims of controlling and coercive behaviour typically won't. This, coupled with the complex patterns of behaviour associated with controlling and coercive behaviour, make it harder to prove. Usually its victims are isolated from their friends and family and deprived of their everyday independence. Abusers will often manipulate their partner (or family member) in various ways such as gaslighting, tracking whereabouts, controlling finances, or threatening to disclose intimate details to their nearest and dearest.
In Jay Blade’s case, if found guilty he will most likely lose his job and could be on the end of a restraining order. In the most severe cases, someone can face a five-year jail sentence for coercive and controlling behaviour.
Source: George Wilson, McAlister Family Law
He has since returned to work and recently shared a post at the end of filming that read: "The last day of filming (for the season) at The Repair Shop (yesterday) feels like the closing of a well-loved book, each chapter filled with quiet moments of care and craftsmanship.
"The air hums with a bittersweet energy, as the smell of wood polish and old leather mingles with the sense of finality. Tools, once animated by the skilled hands of the experts, now rest quietly, their work complete. Every item in the shop, from forgotten trinkets to family heirlooms, carries stories of renewal, each one touched by a loving heart.
© Guy Levy"As the last light spills through the dusty barn doors, casting warm, golden hues across the benches and shelves, there’s a sense that time has paused just long enough to savour these final moments. The creak of the workshop doors, the murmur of farewell between the team—it all lingers in the air like a whispered secret.
"In The Repair Shop, they haven’t just fixed things; they’ve stitched together the fragile threads of memory and meaning. And now, as the cameras are packed away and the workshop falls quiet, there’s a deep peace in knowing that what was mended here will carry on, far beyond these walls. See you all next year, when we start again."
