BBC presenter Jay Blades charged with physical, emotional abuse of wife Lisa Zbozen

BBC presenter Jay Blades has been charged with the physical and emotional abuse of his wife.

Blades, 54, who hosts BBC1’s The Repair Shop, appeared in court yesterday accused of “controlling and coercive behaviour” over a 20-month period.

The single charge relates to his fitness instructor wife Lisa Zbozen, 43, who announced on Instagram on May 2 that she had walked out of the marriage.

The following day, West Mercia Police began an investigation after officers were “called to an address” and Blades was arrested.

Court documents allege that he “repeatedly or continuously engaged in behaviour which was controlling or coercive, namely physical and emotional abuse, towards Lisa Zbozen”.

The alleged behaviour towards his wife “had a serious effect on her” and Blades “knew, or ought to have known, that the behaviour would have a serious effect on her”, according to the charge.

News of his court appearance forced the BBC to shake up its schedule, removing a planned repeat of David & Jay’s Touring Toolshed – featuring Blades and the actor David Jason – due to air on BBC1 at 8pm. It was replaced by a ‘shortened’ episode of Garden Rescue.

The BBC is understood to be reviewing its schedules further, and is not planning to broadcast anything in which Blades appears.

However, his shows will remain on BBC iPlayer. On Thursday – the day before he appeared in court – The Repair Shop’s social media account announced ‘an exciting new live tour’ featuring Blades.

The Repair Shop: Secrets From The Barn tour 2025, was due to involve Blades and other experts from the show appearing around the country from February.

Tickets are on sale for about £40.

The BBC said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”

The presenter, of Claverley in Wolverhampton, appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday morning and was granted conditional bail ahead of a plea hearing at Worcester Crown Court on October 11.

The charge sheet alleged that the period of offending took place between January 1 last year and Thursday this week.

A father of three, Blades wed Ms Zbozen – his second wife – in the grounds of a beachfront villa in Barbados on November 22, 2022 – 40 days before the start of the alleged abusive behaviour.

The furniture restorer shot to fame in 2017 as host of The Repair Shop, in which members of the public take worn-out family heir looms to be fixed by experts.

King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, made a special appearance on the show in October 2022 to see two cherished items restored by the team – a vase made for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee and an 18th century clock.

Blades was made an MBE by Charles in May 2022 for services to craft and in recognition of his work promoting heritage craft and restoration in the UK.

He was invited to the King’s Coronation at Westminster Abbey in May last year and is a trustee of the Heritage Crafts Association, a charity set up to safeguard craft skills, of which the King is patron.

Blades was last on air in The Repair Shop on Wednesday – the same night the show was up for nomination in the daytime programme category at the National Television Awards. It lost to The Chase.

Filming on the new series of the show began without Blades in May, as he said he was taking a break to ‘take stock’ following the alleged murder of his uncle.

Separately, a four-part series called Jay Blades: A Country House Through Time has been made for Channel 5. A spokesman for the broadcaster said last night it was ‘not scheduled’.

It was also announced last night that Blades had resigned from his role as chancellor of Buckinghamshire New University. A spokesman said he had quit “with immediate effect” and thanked him for “his loyal service”.