Jay Blades

A lot of the shows I do are unscripted.

— Jay Blades

You can't look snappy in a T-shirt.

— Jay Blades

Showing vulnerability for men is really important.

— Jay Blades

It's magical to see things through a child's eyes.

— Jay Blades

Making things just allowed me to feel good every day.

— Jay Blades

I had to defend myself against bullies a lot.

— Jay Blades

If I'm not making something, it doesn't feel good.

— Jay Blades

It's scary to accept your vulnerability.

— Jay Blades

It's wonderful to know nothing's so broken it can't be mended.

— Jay Blades

I think I knew three couples that were together. I don't remember seeing too many men in my estate.

— Jay Blades

Reading is something most people do every day and I didn't know it would mean so much to me.

— Jay Blades

I think one of the areas that's developed a lot with having dyslexia, for me, is confidence.

— Jay Blades

You can't beat a traditional afternoon tea - I drink about 10 cups of tea a day and have a very sweet tooth.

— Jay Blades

If you think of 'The Repair Shop,' we're filming almost about nine months of the year.

— Jay Blades

I went to a predominantly white secondary school and experienced a lot of hate and racism.

— Jay Blades

What people like me need is not a father figure, but a role model.

— Jay Blades

Once I got a letter from a doctor and I had to go out into the street and ask someone what it…

— Jay Blades

I didn't really know my dad much but I didn't feel I was missing out because there were a lot of single…

— Jay Blades

I was running a charity that taught teenagers about furniture restoration. The Guardian online did a piece with me and it went…

— Jay Blades

I take in loads of information at one time - listening, reading people's faces, watching their mouths and then storing it in…

— Jay Blades

I didn't like school for a number of reasons. I was bullied and there was a lot of racism, and there's a…

— Jay Blades

It's unbelievable what I discovered within Hackney. Just meeting my old mates, but also meeting historians that knew everything about it.

— Jay Blades

Listen, I'm a 6ft 3in black geezer from Hackney, I have had a lot negative stuff to deal with in my life.…

— Jay Blades

I lived for quite a long time being this macho man, and not really embracing that emotional side. You don't know how…

— Jay Blades

When you've been in that state - call it a no man's land, because a future can't be seen. People say, 'Why…

— Jay Blades

You have to make a mistake to succeed. If anybody came to you and says 'I'm always winning,' something's not right there.…

— Jay Blades

There are islands in this world that are full of plastic, full of the things that we consume. But because it's over…

— Jay Blades

My mother put me into a competition in Clacton-on-Sea in which people attempted to be the quickest eater of 100 Jacob's Cream…

— Jay Blades

If you know certain places are not necessarily for you, why don't you create your own place? I often say to people…

— Jay Blades

Me being on TV is hopefully encouraging people to say, well, Jay's done this from where he's come from. I'm sure we…

— Jay Blades

There is a lot of support out there, and a lot of local support, so just tap into the resources around you.…

— Jay Blades

School had two big influences on me. First, the racism I received - being called names and having eight people out to…

— Jay Blades

People lie just to get on TV.

— Jay Blades

The level of racism that I received in school was insane.

— Jay Blades

People are embarrassed to admit they're dyslexic.

— Jay Blades

If I'm not in the workshop, it doesn't feel right.

— Jay Blades

Men can show their emotions and we're not ashamed to do that.

— Jay Blades

My reading skills are improving but I'm still using coping strategies. I can read signs and I can work things out.

— Jay Blades

Me and my brother were always making and repairing things - what people call upcycling now.

— Jay Blades

I've seen more men crying on 'The Repair Shop' than I have in the entire rest of my life.

— Jay Blades