Avid fans of The Repair Shop will know that Jay Blades lives in Wolverhampton with his beautiful wife, fitness trainer Lisa Zbozen, whom he married in November 2022.
But that hasn't always been his home. Jay swapped High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire for the northern countryside back in 2015 after going through a difficult time personally and professionally that left him with suicidal thoughts. In a candid interview with Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett on the Dish podcast, he opened up about the heartbreaking reason behind his relocation.
© S Meddle/ITV/Shutterstock"Almost nine years ago, what happened was everything flopped for me. The business, the relationship, everything," he began. "And as I couldn't see myself being in tomorrow, what happened was I got in a car, was driving - was living in High Wycombe at the time, got on the M40 and was looking for a bridge to crash into."
After a long search for a bridge without a barrier, he reached the M5 and ran out of petrol. Jay said he then spent "about a week" living in his car in a retail park, during which time his ex-wife had reported him missing.
© David Fisher/Shutterstock for NTASpurred on by his empty stomach, Jay eventually left the car on the hunt for a shower in a nearby hotel and some food. "I got me shower gel, came back to the room and there was five people waiting for me. There was a psychiatric nurse, I think there was two of them, and then there was another really stern, like major, and that was there, and then there were two police officers."
After deciding he didn't need to be sectioned, the law enforcement left and he was taken in by a friend who lived nearby. "They left me and because they had notified my ex-wife, she then notified a guy that was living in Wolverhampton who I got on quite well with, and then he came and got me.
"And that's how I've stayed in Wolverhampton. So that's the reason why I'm there, and that was nine…it was 2015."
Jay shares rare photos of his home on Instagram, revealing retro yet "sparse" interiors and showcasing his love of record players. He previously told House Beautiful back in 2023 that he lives "in a coach house… in the middle of the countryside."
Despite being a restoration expert, he joked that his lack of furniture in his home is a point of contention with his wife.
"I spend most of my time in the front room with my record player. It's quite sparse with two chairs as I don't have a sofa. My wife is always going on at me about getting a sofa but I haven't got one yet. I've got to sort that out.
© Instagram"It's mainly decorated with records, there's an obscene amount of records in there, maybe around 3,000. We're moving into a new house and I'm going to have a music room which is basically dedicated to the records.
"We've got white walls and one side is exposed brickwork. Then, we've got wooden flooring and a marble table that holds the speakers. There's a TV on the wall and then all of the shelving units are covered with records."
If you have been affected by this story and wish to seek help, Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you're feeling, or if you're worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org.
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