Jay Blades is reportedly retiring from television work following the tragic death of his uncle and separation from his wife. The presenter, best known for The Repair Shop, shared the devastating news on Wednesday May 1 that his uncle was murdered after being stabbed to death on a peaceful residential street.
Addressing his fans, Jay said: “I hope you’re all OK. This is kind of a public service announcement. I was just at my uncle’s funeral, he was murdered a couple of weeks ago. Really, super nice guy, this shouldn’t have happened to him, but it really affected me.” Jay also revealed that the incident left him feeling “a little bit messed up.”
Just one day later, Jay’s wife Lisa Marie Zbozen announced the end of her marriage to The Repair Shop presenter Jay, whom she married 18 months ago. The couple married in November 2022 in an intimate ceremony on the beach in Barbados with just 15 guests. Speaking to Hello! at the time, he said: “One word sums up the day: perfect. We had our closest family there, the weather held up and everything worked out so well.”
But in a statement posted online on Thursday 2 May, Lisa announced her split, saying: “I don’t know how to say this as it is still very fresh.” Lisa, 44, also added: “I admit I am crying as I write this as I cannot believe this is even true. I hope you don’t mind if I just have a few days to get my life back on track as I am currently in a spare room with a few important things. I don’t know what else to say. Lots of love, a very heartbroken Lisa-Marie x.”
Following the tough few days, Jay has reportedly not returned to filming on The Repair Shop, which began in Sussex this week. A source told The Sun: “Jay has taken a step back and is taking a break from filming The Repair Shop. The murder of his uncle in March and the breakdown of his marriage have led to him deciding to take some time off.”
The source continued, “The Repair Shop is continuing without him for now and the other repairmen are hard at work. People who worked with Jay said they were shocked to hear that his marriage to Lisa was over. It was not known at all among the people who work on the show.”
OK! has reached out to Jay’s representative for comment.
