Does Jay Blades have a wife and where does he live? All you need to know about The Repair Shop star

Fans of The Repair Shop have been wanting to know more about the popular BBC One show but aside from wondering where the Repair Shop filmed and who the presenters are, viewers are keen to find out about Jay Blades. 

The show's much loved main host first got involved with the restoration show when it began back in 2017 as he runs his own business Jay & Co which is a furniture design and restoration company - a social enterprise that helps disadvantaged and disengaged groups.

Jay is involved in a special episode when King Charles III visits The Repair Shop by bringing some broken items for experts to fix - including a broken clock that has fond memories of his grandmother, the Queen Mother.

And as Jay recently revealed his ex-wife banned him from the shops because he would be ambushed by fans, we look at all you need to know about the TV star...

Where does Jay Blades live?

Jay Blades lives in Ironbridge in Shropshire. He previously revealed how he came to fall in love with  the region in an interview with The Shropshire Star.

“I came to Wolverhampton about three and a bit years ago, and I came here to lick my wounds. Basically everything fell down for me. My marriage broke up, my business broke up, and I was homeless. I left my ex-wife the house and everything like that.

“So I just drove in the car and decided that I was just going to keep on driving. And then I stopped because I needed to get some petrol and where I stopped was Wolverhampton.

He added, “But luckily I had a friend here (Gerald Bailey) who I had sold some furniture to about five, may six, years ago. And he took me under his wing and just said: ‘I’m going to get you sorted Jay. Don’t worry about it’. So he took me into the family and kind of adopted me as his brother.”

His friend Gerald, who owns Diffusion fashion chain based in the city also owns the Victorian former Post Office sorting hall building in the city centre and lets Jay use it as one of his workshops.

And since then it has been transformed into an Aladdin’s cave of beautiful handmade fabrics and furniture in various states of repair, from recently bought near-wrecks to transformed signature pieces ready for delivery.

In 2018 Jay explained, “I have this fantastic space to work in. The light is incredible. It’s my creative place. I also have another workshop near the PDSA shop in the city centre. Wolverhampton is my home now. I was living for a time in Tettenhall with Gez’s mum, but I have my own place in Telford now.”

Who is Jay Blades wife?

Jay Blades is married to his new wife Lisa Zbozen. The pair tied the knot in a romantic Barbados beach front ceremony on 22nd November 2022. The couple got married in front of 15 close family and friends and surprised fans with the news as Jay revealed he got "emotional" at seeing his bride walk down the aisle. It comes after Jay announced his engagement to Lisa Zbozen in December last year. Lisa is a fitness trainer, she runs @thewkoutofficial on Instagram and it has 121k followers.

Jay made his engagement announcement on his Instagram and captioned a snap of his fiancee, the ring and a selfie of them both on a beach, which read, "Good afternoon all. Lunchtime Treat. It gives me great pleasure to announce that I got engaged to @lisamariezbozen. We wanted to share this news with you as we are very happy & hope to bring the same happiness your way. Ring designed by me & made by @rtfj."

Previously, he was married to Jade who he met at university. But the marriage broke down and he left their family home to move to Wolverhampton.

The presenter has previously spoken candidly about "hitting rock bottom" and revealed the pressure was "too much". He told Radio Times: "I left the family home, gave the house to my ex-wife and just drove. I didn’t know where I was going."

Jay once recalled the moment fame affected his first marriage, telling iNews, "I've always had a lot of attention from community members. There was a stage where my ex-wife wouldn’t let me go to the shops to get milk or I’d come back four hours later because everyone was talking to me!"

Is Will Kirk Jay Blades son?

No Will Kirk is not Jay Blades son, they are not related. Instead Jay has three children: a daughter called Zola from his marriage to his ex-Jade and two children from previous relationships. Will is just one of the stars of the show alongside Suzie Fletcher.

What is Jay Blades' real name?

Jay Blades' real name is Jay Blades. He was born on 21st February 1970 in Hackney, East London. Jay is one of 26 children that his dad fathered in different countries.

Does Jay Blades have Dyslexia?

Jay has dyslexia, which was not diagnosed at school, but went on to study at Buckinghamshire New University as a mature student where he studied criminology.

Does Jay Blades own The Repair Shop?

Jay Blades does not own The Repair Shop as it exists just for the BBC programme. The workshop itself actually serves a different purpose when the cameras aren't rolling. It is owned by the Weald & Downland Living Museum, based at Lee-on-the-Solent in Hampshire.

Video of the week

The Repair Shop every Wednesday from 8pm on BBC One.