Jay Blades pleads not guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour towards estranged wife
JAY Blades has pleaded not guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour towards his estranged wife.
The Repair Shop star is accused of causing 43-year-old Lisa Zbozen to fear “violence” would be used against her on at least two occasions.
Blades, 54, appeared at Worcester Crown Court charged with controlling and coercive behaviour against his wife.
The presenter, who wore a smart suit and his trademark flat cap, entered a not guilty plea.
He was bailed ahead of a provisional trial on May 6 next year.
If convicted he could face a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
A charge sheet states he allegedly “engaged in behaviour towards Lisa Marie Zbozen that was controlling or coercive which had a serious effect on her, namely that it caused [her] to fear, on at least two occasions, that violence will be used against her, at a time when he knew or ought to have known that the behaviour will have a serious effect.”.
The offences took place between January 1, 2023, and September 12, 2024, it is alleged.
Blades was arrested on May 3 – the same day wife Lisa publicly announced her decision to end their 18-month marriage.
The couple married in Barbados in November 2022 in an intimate beach-front ceremony.
Before his marriage to the fitness instructor, Blades was married to Jade, who is the mother of one of his three children.
The pair split in 2015 and he went on to have a four year relationship with Christine Goodman before meeting Lisa.
His future on The Repair Shop now appears to be up in the air following the charge.
The Sun revealed this week how Blades has been dropped from the show’s Secrets from the Barn tour following the charge.
The BBC also looks set to axe the Christmas special of The Repair Shop.
Blades has previously spoken out about his troubled childhood after growing up in poverty.
The star’s mum was abandoned by his dad when he was a youngster.
Blades ended up homeless in his 20s before being given social housing but has since gone on to carve out a successful career in TV.
The dad-of-three was awarded an MBE in 2021 and filmed a special episode of Repair Shop last year with King Charles.
The BBC said it would “not be appropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings”.