The Repair Shop's Brenton West has opened up about one restoration which left him emotional and worried that he wouldn't be able to fulfill the guest's request after learning of the heartbreaking story.
West was first involved in the BBC series after doing a one-off camera repair, before going on to get a metalwork job and repairing something for Will Kirk on the show.
The star recently explained: "He asked if the repair could be filmed, and I've been here ever since."
Since then, West has gone on to repair some of the most challenging items and given the guests of the Repair Shop barn their family treasures back in one piece.
However, back in September 2023 he transformed a tin bee that had been given to its owner by their grandson before he passed away - and West has since admitted that it was his most challenging and emotional one yet.
Quentin Long walked into the barn and brought the ornament along with his stepson Tim Stockwell - whose son Miles bought his grandfather the charming decoration in 2014.
The bee ornament was given to the guest by his grandson who had died
BBC
The pair went on to reveal that the youngster had lost his battle with osteosarcoma - a type of bone cancer - aged 15, just months before the episode was filmed.
During their discussion, Long was seen fighting back tears as he unveiled the "very, very special" bee, and noted that the colour had unfortunately faded, along with the head also being separated from the body.
"When he first bought it, it was a garden ornament which he bought me, which I loved, and now it's become the most important thing in my life."
As they left the bee ornament with West, he got straight to work and was determined to restore the bee to its former glory, later revealing his work to the family and leaving them stunned with the "fantastic results".
The Repair Shop guests were left blown away by the restoration from Brenton
BBC
West recently opened up about the challenging fix and said: "Very recently I repaired a little garden bee ornament which belonged to a young man who has now sadly passed away.
"He had given his grandfather this bee, so it was a very emotional fix. It was also challenging, knowing how important the item was, so that really sticks in my mind," he added, according to Daily Mail.
The silversmith also admitted that the skill he found more rewarding was: "Fixing things that people say can’t be fixed - and there are a lot of those at The Repair Shop!
"Making people happy, having repaired something that ‘couldn’t be fixed’ is really rewarding."
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The Repair Shop star recalled his most emotional moment
BBC
West's recollection comes as The Repair Shop's future has been put in danger as presenter Jay Blades has taken a step back from filming priorities after his sudden split from wife Lisa-Marie Zbozen.
The fitness instructor walked out on Blades earlier this month, and stated their marriage "just got worse and worse until I grabbed a bag of a few things and I left".
In a recent statement on her work Instagram account, Zbozen said: "The world got the best parts of my husband. I got a whole lot of everything else."
