The Repair Shop’s Suzie Fletcher has said she thrives on the problems she’s faced with on the BBC show. She added that she was originally put forward for the show by her brother who works as the clockmaker on the programme.
It was The Repair Shop, says Suzie, that helped her through some incredibly tough times after she returned to the UK following the death of her husband whom she credited as the reason for her decision to stay in the USA.
She told Horse&Hound: “I went to the USA in the 1990s as a master saddle maker – I only intended to stay for a few years but I met a fella and got married.
“My brother Steve, who is the clockmaker on The Repair Shop, put my name forward or the job the show when I was moving back from America.”
On the problems she faces as part of her jobs on the show, Suzie remarked: “Problem-solving is something that really fires me up, which is why I enjoy the problems that come into me on the show.
“I’m really pleased the programme has such a good following. It promotes things that we care about and keeps skills and crafts alive.”
In her memoir, The Sun Over The Mountains she remembered how The Repair Shop proved crucial to her recovery.
She wrote: “Being part of The Repair Shop has healed me from the inside. Using my skills in such a positive way has brought me joy and confidence.
“If I’ve ever been worried or run into a problem, their very first words have been ‘What can we do to help? What do you need?’ This changes the dynamics of everything.”
While Suzie has suffered emotional loss, she has also in turn suffered emotional pain over her complicated relationship with her late-husband Rob.
Writing about her experiences in The Mail she remembered on especially vicious incident: “That’s when he got me with his forearm under my throat…I honestly thought I was going to die. He was choking me and could easily have killed me. I don’t know why but eventually he let go.
“I was profoundly shocked. I’d always thought it could never happen to me. Not that. He would never hurt me. Now I knew what my husband was capable of.”
Commenting on the healing effect of The Repair Shop she added: “Steve, Jay, the team of experts, the camera crew, the producers, the directors and the people behind the scenes have always been kind and believed in me.”