The Repair Shop viewers were emotional over a very sweet fix in Thursday's episode, which saw a woman named Sarah hoping to restore a much-loved childhood toy.
Speaking about the toy bear, Sarah explained: “I was born with spina bifida, it’s very similar to someone who has broken their back. I can’t feel the lower part of my body. He was given to me when I was one month old, and he’s been with me ever since.
“My sister is 15 months older than me, so my mum and dad weren’t able to stay with me in hospital. When I couldn’t share things with mum and dad because it upset them too much, I’d share them with Ted.”
She admitted that it would "mean the world to her" to have her childhood toy fixed.
Toy restorers Julie Tatchell and Amanda Middleditch had their work cut out for them, but they love a challenge! The pair set out to repair the bear’s ‘ding-a-ling’, which makes a tingling sound. They also gave the bear a new fabric tummy and back to fix where it had been worn, but worried about recreating the bear’s face properly as it was so worn away, eventually opting for blue eyes and a sewn-on smile.
Sarah was thrilled by the fix, and grew emotional as she looked at her childhood toy. She said: “I don’t think I’m going to put him down for a while. Thank you… It feels priceless to have him back, it’s amazing.” Julie said: “He’s all yours now… this is goodbye, Teddy Greaves!” Sharing a hug, she added: “I’m so relieved!”
Speaking about the repair, one person shared their incredulity, posting: “That teddy bear is possibly one of the most knackered I’ve seen them have to repair #TheRepairShop.”
Another person posted: “I love the teddy bear ladies #TheRepairShop.” A third added: “Some incredibly fragile objects on tonight’s #TheRepairShop which must pose a dilemma for the experts. Where would you start? But they treat everything with such reverence I have every faith in them. Top TV.”