The Repair Shop star Dean Westmoreland has explained how his work has led to permanent damage to one of his hands.
The expert cobbler has been helping Jay Blades restore beloved family heirlooms since joining the BBC One show back in 2021. Although he finds the work «really fulfilling», it’s not without its risks.
During a new interview with OK! Magazine, Westmoreland said that the shape of one of his thumb has been permanently changed, after repeatedly catching it in some machinery.
Related: The Repair Shop stars announce «exciting» career move away from show
«I have a squared off thumb,» he explained. «This thumb has been caught on the machine so many times that it’s now squared off.»
However, the injury isn’t enough to dim Westmoreland’s passion for his craft, as he continued: «I’m learning every single day and that’s what drives me to get better. There is more than a lifetime’s worth of learning in footwear. I’m hungry for it».
Sharing what it feels like to return a repaired item to its owner, he added: «It’s really fulfilling. You know the history of the item, the story, you get an insight into people’s lives. So there’s that extra responsibility.
«When you give it back and they’re happy, there’s such a sense of relief.»
Related: The Repair Shop‘s Jay Blades discovers he has 27 siblings
It was recently announced that Westmoreland’s Repair Shop co-star Jay Blades is set to continue his Through Time series on Channel 5.
While the previous series focused on the East End and the Midlands, West End Through Time will see Blades speaking to historians and experts about the history of London’s West End.
«I love these series uncovering eye-opening, surprising and extraordinary facts about where we live,» Blades said on the show’s announcement.
«London is fascinating and there is so much history to delve into across the West End, with spectacular stories that many people won’t have heard before. Like me, I think viewers will be a bit blown away by some of the revelations that are in store.»
The Repair Shop airs on BBC One.
Content Production Intern, Digital Spy
After completing her joint honours degree in Journalism and English Literature at Cardiff University, Iona joined Digital Spy as a Content Production Intern in 2022. In this role, Iona writes across both news and features, specialising in TV and movies. During her time at Digital Spy, she has interviewed multiple Love Island stars, reported from the Black Adam red carpet and, most recently, interviewed the cast of Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid.
