LOST FOR WORDS

Jay Blades on his lifelong struggle to read…

- TESS LAMACRAFT, RICHARD MCCLURE

NEW DOCUMENTARY

Jay Blades: Learning to Read at 51 Wed, BBC1 HD, 9pm (times vary)

Around eight million adults in the UK struggle to read – a number that includes The Repair Shop presenter Jay Blades. The London-born furniture restorer left school with no qualifications and was only diagnosed with dyslexia when he was 31.

This week, he’s on a mission to conquer his fear of the written word in a candid new documentary, Jay Blades: Learning to Read at 51, as he takes reading lessons, meets other adults in his situation, and reveals the impact his poor literacy skills have had on his life.

We caught up with Blades, 51, to find out more…

How did you get through school without being able to read?