POPULAR BBC presenter Jay Blades has pleaded not guilty to engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour towards his estranged wife today (Friday, October 11).
The host of BBC’s tear-jerking show, The Repair Shop, appeared at Worcester Crown Court this afternoon to deny the allegations after being charged last month.
His wife, fitness instructor Lisa-Marie Zbozen, announced the pair’s split in an Instagram post on May 2. Blades appeared before Judge James Burbidge KC in Worcester to enter his plea.
The charges relate to events between January 1, 2023 and September 12 this year. The 54-year-old is alleged to have engaged in behaviour that caused Ms Zbozen ‘to fear, on at least two occasions, that violence will be used against her’.
Judge James Burbidge KC rejected an application for part of the proceedings to be heard in private.
The case was adjourned, with Mr Blades, from Claverley, in Shropshire, expected to face trial on May 6, 2025.
The judge removed a bail condition that Blades should be subject to an electronic tag, which had not yet been fitted due to “failings” by the company responsible.
He will still be subject to an exclusion zone, preventing him from entering areas specified by the court, however this will not be monitored via electronic tag.
He was photographed by our reporter wearing a dark suit and flat cap as he left court following his plea hearing.
