The Repair Shop host Jay Blades appears in court on coercive control charge

Former The Repair Shop presenter Jay Blades has appeared in court on a charge of controlling or coercive behaviour.

The TV host, 55, was in Worcester Crown Court for a preliminary hearing a day after he was separately charged with two counts of rape.

He was charged last September with a single count of ‘controlling and coercive behaviour’ towards his estranged wife, Lisa Marie Zbozen, between January 1, 2023, and September 12, 2024.

Blades, who denied the charge, appeared over Zoom, wearing animal-print glasses, a grey suit and a blue polka-dot tie, and only spoke to confirm his name.

He is also due in Telford’s magistrates’ court over the rape charges, which the police confirmed yesterday in a statement.

A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: ‘Jason Blades, 55, of Claverley in Shropshire, has been charged with two counts of rape.

‘He is due to appear at Telford Magistrates’ Court on 13 August 2025.’

Blades fronted the popular BBC show for seven years before stepping back in 2024, soon after he split from his wife.

The charge alleges that his behaviour had ‘a serious effect’ on Zbozen with Judge James Burbidge KC rejecting an application for part of the proceedings to be heard in private.

The case was adjourned with a possible trial date of May 6 next year.

Blades’ wife previously shared on social media that their marriage was over after 18 months.

In her message, she said that she felt ‘incredibly sad about the whole thing’, adding: ‘I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much’.

It was then reported that while The Repair Shop was continuing to film, Blades was ‘having a break’ from the production.

‘Jay has taken a step back and is having a break from filming The Repair Shop,’ a source told The Sun at the time.

‘His uncle’s death in March and the breakdown of his marriage means he has decided to take some time out.’

The BBC previously confirmed to Metro that Blades is not currently filming the programme, and the BBC is currently not going to be scheduling any programmes in which he is featured but content that already features Blades will remain on BBC iPlayer.

Metro has reached out to Blades’ reps for comment.

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