A primetime TV figure now faces years of criminal proceedings. Former Repair Shop host Jay Blades, 55, has been charged with two counts of rape and one count of controlling or coercive behaviour. He denies all allegations. He appeared by videolink before Shrewsbury Crown Court in September 2025 and was granted conditional bail, with a full trial listed for September 2027.
West Mercia Police brought the rape charges earlier in 2025. They are separate from an earlier accusation of controlling and coercive behaviour involving his estranged wife, fitness trainer Lisa Zbozen, first filed in September 2024. Blades has pleaded not guilty across the board. A case management hearing is scheduled for May 2026; he is not required to attend that hearing in person.
The charges and the slow path to trial
The new rape charges were set to reach Telford magistrates court in August 2025 before being sent up to the Crown Court, as is standard for serious offences. At Shrewsbury Crown Court the following month, Blades entered not-guilty pleas via videolink, a format now common across the criminal courts.
Controlling or coercive behaviour became a specific criminal offence in England and Wales in 2015. It refers to a pattern of acts often designed to isolate, intimidate, humiliate, or dominate a partner or former partner. Prosecutors typically rely on messages, witness accounts, digital records, and the wider context of a relationship to show a sustained course of conduct.
Rape trials hinge on consent and the prosecutions burden to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. The complainants identity in such cases is protected by lifelong anonymity under UK law. As with all ongoing cases, details of the alleged incidents have not been tested in court, and reporting focuses on the charges, the process, and the formal pleas entered.
Blades remains on conditional bail. Courts dont routinely publish the full list of conditions. In cases of this type, standard restrictions can include having no contact with named individuals, avoiding certain locations, living at a declared address, and surrendering a passport. Any breach risks arrest and a review of bail.
- September 2024: Police charge Blades with controlling or coercive behaviour relating to his estranged wife, Lisa Zbozen. He denies the allegation.
- August 2025: He is scheduled to appear at Telford magistrates court after West Mercia Police file two counts of rape.
- September 2025: At Shrewsbury Crown Court, he pleads not guilty to all charges via videolink and is granted conditional bail.
- May 2026: A case management hearing is listed; Blades is not required to attend.
- September 2027: Trial is scheduled at Shrewsbury Crown Court.
The long wait for a trial date reflects the strain on the Crown Court system, where multi-week cases are often listed far in advance to secure courtroom time, juries, and counsel availability. Between now and 2027, the court will handle disclosure, set deadlines for legal arguments, and decide on special measures such as screens or remote evidence for any complainants. If the case proceeds, a jury will hear evidence and reach verdicts under judicial directions on law and burden of proof.
No evidence has yet been aired in open court. Until that happens, legal teams are expected to argue what material should be disclosed, which witnesses will be called, and how any sensitive material is handled. The court may also rule on how the separate allegations are presented to a jury, including whether they are tried together or severed.
A career built on restoration, now paused
Blades became one of the most recognisable faces on British TV after joining The Repair Shop in 2017 as lead presenter. The series, made by Ricochet, part of Warner Bros. Discovery, pairs expert craftspeople with families hoping to bring cherished items back to life. His on-screen manner and the shows gentle pace helped turn it into a daytime hit and a comfort watch.
He stepped down from his presenting role last year after the first charge was filed. The programme continues with its bench of restorers and guest presenters, while the production company has kept a low profile around his departure. Blades had been closely associated with the shows success, fronting live specials and seasonal episodes during his seven-year run.
Beyond The Repair Shop, hes appeared on Celebrity MasterChef, Celebrity Bake Off and Comic Relief, and fronted the BBCs Money For Nothing until 2020. In 2023, he shared a Daytime Bafta with colleagues on The Repair Shop for a special episode featuring King Charles III, then the Prince of Wales, recorded at Dumfries House.
His links to the royal household extended to a stint as an ambassador for the Kings Foundation, formerly the Princes Foundation. Blades praised the then-Princes push for traditional skills and sustainability in a BBC special, The Repair Shop: A Royal Visit. He has since resigned from the ambassador role.
In 2022, he was made an MBE for services to craft, a nod to his advocacy of traditional restoration skills and the value of repair over replacement. He has also stepped down as chancellor of Buckinghamshire New University since the charges were brought, part of a wider retreat from public-facing positions while the case proceeds.
Broadcasters tend to move cautiously when an on-air figure faces serious charges, often pausing projects and deferring decisions until after a verdict. Contracts usually include morality or conduct clauses, giving networks leeway to act when criminal allegations arise. Any long-term decision about Bladess future on screen is likely to track the outcome of the court process.
For now, the legal timetable dominates. The court will revisit the case next in May 2026 for case management before the 2027 trial. Unless there are fresh applications or a change in plea, the next public updates will come from the court list and procedural hearings rather than detailed evidence. Blades maintains his innocence and is entitled to the presumption of that until a jury decides otherwise.