The Repair Shop guest breaks down in tears as she receives last gift father gave her before his tragic death - and admits grief has haunted her 'all through life'

Daily Mail​

23-07-2025

A guest on The Repair Shop broke down in tears as she received the last gift her father gave her before his tragic death, which has haunted her 'all through life'.
The BBC One programme sees guests enlist craft and artisan experts to restore their cherished heirlooms and keepsakes to their former glory.
A special Favourite Fixes episode, which aired on Tuesday, saw presenters Will Kirk, 40, and Dominic Chinea, 39, revisit some of the show's best moments.
It included a trip to the workshop by a guest named Emma who brought along a puppet her father gave her in the seventies when she was just eight years old.
The toy is called Billy Willy, she explained: 'My dad got cancer so my nan thought it would be good for him to go to Scotland to a health farm.
'He was gone probably a couple of months, which is a long time when you're eight.
It included a trip to the workshop by a guest named Emma who brought along a puppet (pictured before the transformation) her father gave her in the seventies when she was just eight years old
'I remember he phoned us and said what did we want as a present when he came back.
'In the seventies, puppets were all the rage! I just asked for a puppet and I got Billy Willy! I was absolutely thrilled with him.
'It was the last thing that my dad gave me because he died soon after. We don't have many photographs of dad so this is all I've got of my dad. I've got nothing else.
'That's why he's so special. I don't think I ever really went anywhere without him!'
But she said her own children sadly 'absolutely hate' the puppet as cracks on its face and a missing leg give it a creepy, unsettling look.
It adds to his existing clownish expression, with a red nose and smile and big wide eyes, alongside a shock of red hair and a clashing patterned outfit.
Emma wanted to bring her beloved toy back into the family fold again: 'I think he'd be over the moon to know that Billy Willy was getting a second chance.
'And hopefully, you know, grandchildren that he'll never see will get to play with him.'
She reflected: 'It's difficult to understand what happens when you lose a parent and you take it with you all through your life. It's always there!'
Ceramics expert Kirsten Ramsay, helped by soft toy restoration experts the Bear Ladies, had a mammoth task on their hand to revitalise the puppet.
But later in the episode, when the guest was reunited with her beloved childhood toy, it was clear all their efforts had been worth it.
Admitting she had never been parted from Billy Willy before, an excited Emma could not wait to be reunited - and soon broke down in tears upon the final reveal.
'Oh my God! That's amazing! He looks like when he was new!', she exclaimed.
'Oh my God, you are amazing! He's still the same, oh it's lush, that is so good! He's brilliant, thank you!'
Emma explained: 'I think it would mean so much to my dad, maybe when dad bought this for me, he knew that I needed something that was going to make me smile.
'It definitely makes me smile and cry.'
Emma (pictured) explained: 'I think it would mean so much to my dad, maybe when dad bought this for me, he knew that I needed something that was going to make me smile'
It comes after a rediscovered episode of the BBC programme also got everyone in the workshop feeling very emotional.
A man named Iain McPherson met with silversmith Brenton West in hopes his prized possession could be overhauled.
The instalment, originally released in 2022, saw him bring in a bookend, with a statue of an Special Air Service (SAS) soldier on it.
His father, who served in the special forces unit of the British Army, was given the keepsake for its 50th anniversary in 1991.
Iain explained his father left him the figurine when he passed away in 2002 - but it had unfortunately sustained extensive damage over the years.
The resin model had its head accidentally knocked off when the father and son had once been doing a spot of decorating.
Several other sections had also chipped off, with Iain luckily keeping most of the detached pieces, which could be used in the repair work.
The man told expert Brenton more about his father - and his horrifying near-death experience: 'He joined the army as soon as he could in the Second World War.
'Then, he joined the SAS when it was formed [in 1941]. The special forces, they do a lot of fighting behind enemy lines.'
Referring to the Nazi occupation of Greece from 1941 to 1944, he continued: 'In my dad's case, he was over in Greece quite a lot.
'He tried to liberate the Greeks and while he was there, he got wounded.'
Severely injured, his father was on the verge of death - before, in a moment of astonishing luck, Greek resistance groups found and saved him.
He was quickly losing blood - so the soldiers had to take decisive action, Iain said: 'He had three bullets in his leg and they actually cut his leg off on a kitchen table.'
Expert Brenton was left completely shocked by this, replying incredulously: 'They cut his leg off?'
He could only listen on in stunned silence as Iain said despite how harrowing the moment was, his 'very modest', highly decorated father never spoke about it.
Brenton responded: 'You find that with true heroes. They don't often talk about it.'
Iain was touched by this and quickly became overcome: 'Everybody said he was a great guy which is why this means a lot. I'm getting upset.'
Aware of the importance of the item to the guest, Brenton got to work bringing it back to its former glory.
And when he unveiled the final result to Iain later in the episode, the guest was totally shocked: 'Woah.'
Iain soon broke into an enormous grin, saying the figurine was 'back to his old self' - before breaking down again, wiping away tears with a handkerchief.
'I don't think I could ask for better', he said, adding: 'You've fair done me proud and my dad too.'