BBC The Repair Shop’s Jay Blades charged with controlling and coercive behaviour against wife months after split
The Repair Shop presenter Jay Blades has been charged with controlling and coercive behaviour against his estranged wife Lisa Zbozen, including physical and emotional abuse, court documents show.
West Mercia Police said the BBC star appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court this morning and was bailed to appear at Worcester Crown Court on Friday October 11.
Blades was arrested on May 3, the same day his wife Lisa Zbozen made public her decision to end their 18-month marriage.
A spokeswoman for West Mercia Police said: “54-year-old Jason Blades of Claverley in Wolverhampton has been charged with controlling and coercive behaviour.”
The news of their split was announced back in May, with the star announcing he was taking a break from television following the announcement of the split.
The Repair Shop star and his fitness instructor wife married in November 2022 at an intimate ceremony in Barbados with just a select few friends and family members.
Taking to social media, Zbozen admitted she was inconsolable and “crying” as she wrote the statement.
She penned: “I don’t know how to say this because it’s still really raw. I probably should be really angry but I’m just incredibly sad about the whole thing right now. I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much.
“I will admit I’m crying as I type this as I can’t believe this is even real. I hope you don’t mind if I just have a few days trying to figure out my life as I’m currently in a spare room with a few essentials.
“I don’t know what else to say. All my love, A very broken Lisa-Marie x,” she signed off. (sic).
Previous to the announcement, Blades had announced on his social media that he was taking a break from work to work through some family things.
Captioning the video: “Good evening all, see you soon,” Blades explained: “Hope you’re all well. This is kind of like a public service announcement
“I’ve just been to my uncle’s funeral, he was murdered a few weeks ago. Really, super nice guy, shouldn’t have happened to him, but it really affected me.
“I feel a little bit messed up. So what I’m intending on doing is this… I’m coming off social media for a bit, and I’ll be back in a bit.
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“Going to go and get some therapy and just chill out”, he explained, underlining the importance of “taking stock” after an ordeal.
Weeks after their split, Zbozen took to her social media and revealed that their marriage had become severely strained, and admitted she was “broken.”
In a lengthy statement on her work Instagram account, she penned: “This was the whole post on a private forum: I don’t know how to say this because it’s still really raw.
“I probably should be really angry but I’m just incredibly sad about the whole thing right now. I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much.
“I wanted my husband to love me & keep me safe, and I would love him right back, but it just got worse and worse, until I grabbed a bag of a few things & I just left. Anyway, That’s why there’s been no new wkouts [workouts].” (sic)
