Entertainment
The Repair Shop star Jay Blades back in touch with older sister as he tries to track down his 25 siblings
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Jay Blades opened up about discovering he has 25 brothers and sisters as he detailed his troubled upbringing.
The Repair Shop star shared he has managed to meet a few of his siblings and has plans to see his eldest sister for the first time in over 20 years.
Appearing on Lorraine on Thursday, Jay, 51, told the host about his dad, who he doesn’t refer to as his dad.
‘I call him the man who contributed towards my birth,’ Jay said.
‘I’ve got 25 brothers and sisters and met 11 of them, and recently I got in contact with my older sister that I’ve always wanted to meet. I can’t wait to meet her. It’s gonna be a real emotional time. Last time I saw her I think I was five years old.’
Jay has said in the past that he has siblings all over the world, with six in America, two in Africa and three in Jamaica.
In his new book Making It, the presenter shares details about the ‘dark’ moments in his life, including dealing with horrific racism, going through a mental breakdown and how he came out the other side.
The TV star revealed: ‘When I look back at my life I’m just like, really? It’s like, wow it’s an unbelievable life that I’ve had.
‘Because I’ve lived it I haven’t reflected. Six years ago I just fell down, there was no vision for me. It got dark. There are a lot of people that suffer but what helped me was when I spoke out.
‘I cried for the first time at 45 in front of a black guy and he didn’t take the mickey. I was reborn at 45 and got into TV at 46, now I’m 51.’
In an extract from Making It, obtained by The Mirror, he detailed a vicious attack aged 14 by policemen who ‘beat the s**t out of me.’
As a result of the extreme racism he faced, Furniture designer Jay got into regular fights, dropped out of school and became homeless.
He eventually turned his life around by going to university.
He’s now known as the founder of Jay & Co, a social enterprise that helps the disadvantaged and has also been involved in the charity Out Of The Dark.
Lorraine airs weekdays at 9am on ITV.
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