Repair Shop host Jay Blades charged with two counts of rape and faces court next week a year after quitting hit BBC show
STAR ACCUSED Repair Shop host Jay Blades charged with two counts of rape and faces court next week a year after quitting hit BBC show
REPAIR Shop star Jay Blades has been charged with two counts of rape.
Police confirmed the allegations against the 55-year-old dad of three from Shropshire.
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Jay Blades has been charged with two counts of rape
Credit: BBC
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Police confirmed the rape allegations against the 55-year-old Repair Shop star and father of three
Credit: BBC
Blades fronted the hit BBC show for seven years before stepping back last year.
King Charles appeared alongside him on a special episode in 2022.
West Mercia Police confirmed charges against the dad of three, with a magistrates' court date set for next Wednesday.
A spokesperson said: 'Jason Blades, 55, of Claverley in Shropshire, has been charged with two counts of rape.
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"He is due to appear at Telford magistrates' court on 13 August 2025.'
Blades was awarded an MBE in 2022 for services to craft while King Charles appeared on the Repair Shop the same year.
The TV star is currently awaiting trial on a separate charge of controlling and coercive behaviour against estranged wife Lisa-Marie Zbozen, which he has denied.
Blades was arrested in May 2024 - on the same day fitness instructor Lisa announced her decision to end their 18-month marriage.
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In September Blades was charged.
His actions allegedly caused Lisa 'to fear, on at least two occasions, that violence will be used against her'.
The presenter pleaded not guilty to the charge — which relates to the period between January 1, 2023 and September 12, 2024 — at a court hearing last October.
He is due to attend Worcester crown court today for a pre-trial review regarding the charge.
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Blades, who married Lisa in an intimate ceremony in Barbados in November 2022, took a break from filming following his arrest.
Sources said the decision was also linked to the death of his uncle Richard Braithwaite, 72, in North London in March.
A neighbour has been charged with murder.
Blades was also dropped from The Repair Shop's live show, Secrets From The Barn, and quietly removed from promotional material.
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His Repair Shop co-star, horologist Steve Fletcher, revealed in March he had visited Blades while on a break from the live tour.
Steve shared a photograph of himself with Blades on Instagram with the caption: 'In a break from our 'Secrets From the Barn' Tour, I popped in to see Jay the other day for a cup of tea and a lovely chat.
'It was great to catch up. Hope to see him again soon.'
The BBC later replaced Blades with Roman Kemp for the Christmas special of the popular series.
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Blades also resigned as chancellor of Buckinghamshire New University 'with immediate effect' following the initial charge.
It said: 'We thank Jay for his loyal service to the university and will be making no further comment.'
As well as fronting The Repair Shop since 2017, Blades also hosted BBC shows including Money For Nothing and Jay Blades' Home Fix.
He also appeared as a contestant on the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special and fronted a special BBC documentary, Jay Blades: Learning to Read at 51.
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King Charles appeared alongside Blades on a special episode in 2022
Credit: BBC/Ricochet/Ian West
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