Jay Blades' driving charge is dropped as prosecutors offer no evidence - days after The Repair Shop star was charged with controlling and coercive behaviour against his estranged wife

A charge of using his mobile phone at the wheel against BBC star Jay Blades was dismissed this morning after the Crown offered no evidence against him.

The Repair Shop star Blades, 54, - who was charged last week with the physical and emotional abuse of his wife – had previously denied a separate allegation of using his phone while driving in Wombourne, Staffordshire, in April last year.

But during a brief hearing over that matter before Cannock magistrates, sitting at Walsall, prosecutor Zulqarnain Saeed said the officer in the case was not available and therefore the Cown would offer no evidence.

At the end of the two-minute hearing sitting Presiding Justice Neil Ravenscroft told Blades: Youre free to go to which the TV star, of Claverley, Shropshire, replied: Thank you Sir.

Blades left court wearing a black cap and black suit.

Jay Blades left Cannock Magistrates Court this morning wearing a black suit and his trademark flatcap as he clutched a bottle of water

The Crown said it was offering no evidence in the case, meaning the charge was dropped and the presenter (pictured leaving court) cleared

The Repair Shop host (pictured outside Cannock Magistrates Court) had previously denied a separate allegation of using his phone while driving in Wombourne, Staffordshire, in April last year

Blades appeared before Kidderminster magistrates on Friday charged with controlling and coercive behaviour over a 20-month period.

The single charge relates to his fitness instructor wife Lisa Zbozen, 43, who announced on Instagram on May 2 that she had walked out of the marriage.

The following day, West Mercia Police began an investigation after officers were called to an address and Blades was arrested.

Court documents allege that he repeatedly or continuously engaged in behaviour which was controlling or coercive, namely physical and emotional abuse, towards Lisa Zbozen.

The alleged behaviour towards his wife had a serious effect on her and Blades knew, or ought to have known, that the behaviour would have a serious effect on her, according to the charge.

The couple married in November 2022 in Barbados, but in May Ms Zbozen announced that she had walked out on him in an Instagram post in which she said she was very broken.

The TV star (pictured leaving court) replied Thank you Sir when told by Presiding Justice Neil Ravenscroft that he was free to go 

BBC star Jay Blades arrived at court on Tuesday to face a driving offence

Blades has resigned from the Kings Foundation, which he supported as an ambassador

Blades left school at 15 with no qualifications then studied for a degree in criminology and philosophy at Buckinghamshire New University from 2001

Blades appeared in a Channel 4 documentary last month about his friendship with actress Dame Judi Dench, called Dame Judi and Jay: The Odd Couple

In 2022, a special one-off episode to mark the BBCs centenary saw Jay Blades and the repair team visit the King, when he was still the Prince of Wales, at Dumfries House in Scotland

Last Thursday, a day before Blades appeared in court over the alleged abuse of his wife, The Repair Shops social media account announced an exciting new live tour featuring Blades and other experts from the show. 

The £40-a-ticket show, The Repair Shop - Secrets From The Barn is due to tour the country in February.

After being charged with the coercive control of his wife, Blades resigned as an ambassador for the Kings Foundation. 

The furniture restorer won a daytime Bafta TV award along with other members of the BBC programme last year for a special featuring the King, who was at the time the Prince of Wales.

An episode of Blades show with actor Sir David Jason - David & Jays Touring Toolshed - was axed from BBC1s Friday night schedule, following news of his court appearance.

Blades has also since resigned as a chancellor of Buckinghamshire Bew University, where he studied criminology and philosophy.