The Repair Shop's 'heartbreaking' fix leaves Jay Blades and viewers in tears

The Repair Shop viewers were left reaching for the tissues on Wednesday evening in another tear-jerking episode of the BBC heirloom-fixing show.

The episode saw Jay Blades and ceramics expert Kirsten Ramsay welcome husband and wife Emese and Luke to the barn. The couple brought the clay imprint of their son David's footprints, which were taken just days before he passed away. 

© BBC

Emese and Luke told the experts that David, one of twin boys with brother Joshua, was born prematurely in February 2020 and was diagnosed with a rare heart condition just a few months later. The couple explained that David sadly died aged just five months, leaving Jay in tears. 

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Kirsten got to work on the delicate clay imprint, which had cracked. 

Upon the big reveal, Emese and Luke were overcome with emotion. Watch the heartbreaking moment in the clip below. 

Reacting to the restoration, Luke said that it brought back memories of the couple's final days with their son. "Just in those last hours, he opened his eyes for us and was looking at us," he said. "That's what I think of when I see these feet, the last hours that we had with him."

Emese added: "This will now be a reminder of him and a comfort."

Taking to Twitter, viewers were quick to praise Kirsten's impressive ceramic-fixing skills. One person wrote: "#Footprints on #TheRepairShop tonight... Incredible work, so emotional," while another added: "Literally have no idea how she did that! Incredible! Well done Kirsten."

© BBC

Other fans were in tears, with one person tweeting: "Superb tonight. David's footprints were heartbreaking but so nice to see them repaired. That terrarium was amazing," while another added: "Naturally I will be crying again tonight. The couple who's five-month-old baby died will have a lot of us crying tonight."

A third person wrote: "Kirsten has done an amazing job. My goodness, what a weight of responsibility… such a moving television moment."

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