The Repair Shop star Jay Blades is looking forward to finally being able to read the story of his life.
Last year, he let TV cameras document his battle with learning to read in his 50s.
And after at last starting to overcome the dyslexia that marred his youth, Jason “Jay” Blades now plans to read his first book – his own.
READ MORE: King Charles baffled by clock mishap on BBC's Repair Shop as he's branded 'wonderful'
Asked if had read his best-selling ghostwritten autobiography, Making It: How Love, Kindness And Community Helped Me Repair My Life, he said: “No – I’ve been too busy!
“There’s going to come a time – I think when I’m on holiday.
“But when’s that going to be? I don’t know. I’m working flat out.”
Born and raised in London with his mum and half-brother, he later found out his dad had 25 other children.
A tough upbringing included being stabbed in the arm and being bundled into the back of a police van, while severe dyslexia went undiagnosed at school. He worked as a labourer and in factories before finding fame as host of hit BBC show, The Repair Shop,, and is said to be worth around £2.5million.
But Jay, 53, tells us he is only now starting to build a set of personal possessions to pass on to his kids.
He added: “When you’re poor you don’t have family heirlooms. Nothing gets handed down, ’coz you ain’t got nothing.
“I’m creating my first heirlooms. I’ve got a ring my wife bought for me. I’ve got my record collection. That’s it.”
Jay is aware he has critics of the way he’s befriended King Charles considering his working-class roots. He was invited to the Coronation after HM dropped into The Repair Shop last year.
Jay said about ignoring the haters: “I promote positivity. If someone trolls me, I just block them.”
Crafty work
Jay has set out to celebrate craft and get young people with a similar background to him into the business.
He will present the Craftworks exhibition in London in 2024, which aims to generate work for people whose skills are being lost to mass manufacturing – and attract the next generation.
Jay said: “Craftworks is about bringing people together to make crafts accessible – to allow
people to see a path and say, ‘OK, this is what I can become’.
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