The Repair Shop star Jay Blades is stepping into a brand new television venture on Channel 5.
Departing from his usual workshop setting, Blades will host The West End Through Time, a show delving into the rich history of London's West End.
In the upcoming series premiere, the 54-year-old navigates through London in a traditional black cab, starting at Trafalgar Square before exploring landmarks around St Martins-in-the Field Church, Fortnum & Mason and the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane.
News of his upcoming series, which airs on July 13, comes after his estranged wife Lisa-Marie Zbozen announced the couple's shock split in May following the death of his uncle.
At the time, the fitness influencer, 43, said that she felt “incredibly sad about the whole thing” as she confirmed the end of their marriage on Instagram.
She wrote: “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.”
The former couple tied the knot in an intimate beachfront wedding in Barbados in 2022, with just 15 guests in attendance.
Before his marriage to Zbozen, Blade was married to his ex-wife Jade. The former couple welcomed a daughter, Zola, 15, together but split in 2015.
The furniture restorer also has two other children from separate previous relationships.
News of the split came days after Blades announced that he would be taking time away from social media to process his grief following the death of his uncle.
Blades’ uncle Richard Brathwaite, 72, was reportedly stabbed to death by a neighbour on a quiet residential street following a long-standing dispute over a shared alleyway on March 21.
Blades has been on The Repair Shop ever since it launched in 2017. The BAFTA winning series sees craftspeople from around the country restore family heirlooms that have sentimental value.
Filming on the new series of the BBC’s The Repair Shop commenced without Blades at the Weald and Downland Living Museum in Chichester, West Sussex.
