Yahoo News BBC The Repair Shop star Jay Blades appears in court charged with controlling and coercive behaviour
BBC presenter Jay Blades has been charged with engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour towards his wife.
Blades, 54, appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday after being charged by West Mercia Police with one count of engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship.
According to court documents, the charge relates to his fitness instructor wife Lisa Zbozen, who announced on her Instagram page in May that their relationship was over.
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The couple married in the grounds of a beachfront villa in Barbados on November 22 2022.
Their split was confirmed by his estranged wife on her social media channels in May this year.
The presenter, who fronts primetime show The Repair Shop, will appear at Worcester Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing on October 11.
In a statement, West Mercia Police said: “54-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.”
Furniture restorer Blades, who was made an MBE for services to craft in 2022, found fame on The Repair Shop, the restoration programme he has presented since 2017, which sees members of the public take worn-out family heirlooms to be restored by a team of experts.
He is set to front an upcoming Channel 5 series titled Jay Blades: A Country House Through Time.
