16 April 2023 , 18:00
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The Repair Shop has quickly become a fan favourite series with its regular tear-jerking episodes, with one of the BBC show's stars even bagging themselves a spot on Celebrity Bake Off thanks to the show's popularity.
Members of the public come into the little farmhouse with a treasured items, only for the story behind them to be as emotionally charged as the guests themselves.
It seems most have gone through hard times or heartache on the BBC show, and presenter Jay Blades is no different.
Just seven years ago, in 2015, his life completely changed with the star going through some of the hardest times imaginable.
He lost everything - his wife, business and even his home.
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It would be more than anyone could bear, but Jay, who is one of the celebrity bakers in the tent for The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer 2023, made it through to find the success he is enjoying on the other end.
How did Jay Blades become homeless?
Jay Blades is whipping up a storm in the tent on Celebrity Bake Off once again this eveningJay comes from humble beginnings as he initially worked as a labourer and in factories before he made the decision to study Criminology at Buckinghamshire New University.
It was here he met his now ex-wife Jade and together they set up a charity, Out Of The Dark.
The business helped youths by training them in woodworking and restoration, bringing old furniture back to life.
He and Jade even share a child together, Zola, but soon things started to crumble.
In his book Making It: How Love, Kindness And Community Helped Me Repair My Life, he opened up about the stress of no longer feeling the “spark” with his wife while his charity lost funding.
He said: "I was the one who had brought the happy house, our family home, our business, all crashing down.”
'Everything fell down for me' (BBC)In an interview with Daily Star, he said: "Everything fell down for me. My marriage broke up, my business broke up.
"I left my ex-wife the house and everything like that."
Tragically, the state of his life at that time even led him to contemplating suicide.
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Speaking to the Mirror, he explained: “Everything came at once. My marriage had broken down, I didn’t have any money and the people that I employed I had to make redundant. The state that I was in I would have taken my own life, and I came close.
“I got in my car and decided to drive. I had no vision of where I was going. I ended up in Wolverhampton, and for a couple of nights I slept in my car.
“My wife was so alarmed she reported me missing and the police found me.”
How did Jay Blades turn his life around?
Jay Blades was given the help he needed when a friend gave him a place to stay (BBC/Ricochet/Ian West)When Jay had nowhere left to turn, an old friend of his thankfully gave him a place to stay in Wolverhampton.
Speaking to Susannah Constantine on her My Wardrobe Malfunction podcast, he said: “The thing that I did was drive, get away from all that and disappear; I didn't think I was going to see tomorrow... The first way of me asking for help was to cry.
“I broke down. I broke down in front of a guy I call my brother now, Gerald Bailey, and I just cried and cried. It's the first time I ever cried in front of a man.
He admitted to taking a week to ask Gerald for £100 to buy food to survive because of “shame and embarrassment”.
To Jay’s astonishment, Gerald offered him a job and gave him a place to stay for two weeks before moving in with his mum and step-day for a year and a half.
From here he established a new business, Jay&Co, which restored vintage pieces of furniture.
This business spring-boarded him to make some appearance on TV, leading him to the eventual opportunity to host The Repair Shop.
The Great Celebrity Bake Off
Jay is one of 20 celebrities entering the tent raising money for Stand Up 2 Cancer (Mark Bourdillon)Last month Channel 4 viewers watched as Jay joined the likes of Loose Women star Judi Love, Coleen Nolan and Radio 1 DJ Adele Roberts helping raise funds for Stand Up to Cancer.
The first two episodes saw Rose Matafeo, David Schwimmer, Jesy Nelson, Tom Davies, Gemma Collins, actress Jessica Hynes, comedian and actor Tim Key, and TV presenter AJ Odudu enter the Bake Off tent in a bid to get a golden handshake from judge Paul Hollywood.
Ahead of his episode airing this evening, Jay admitted Paul isn't as scary as he appears on the Channel 4 show.
"I’m not a baker," he told the Guardian earlier this week.
"They sent me ingredients and some equipment in advance, so I could practise. I never opened the box. I just went straight into the Bake Off tent like 'Here we go, let’s do this!' Us East Enders have our wits about us, so I totally winged it."
When asked if Paul is a scary judge, Jay added: "No, he’s a really nice guy. And the cameras don’t do his eyes justice! I’ve never seen a shade of blue like it. I couldn’t stop gazing into them. I was falling in love with him. He hypnotised me."