Dean Westmoreland, who stars in The Repair Shop, has confessed that his profession has permanently injured his hands.
The footwear specialist and cobbler joined the BBC show in 2021, assisting Jay Blades and his staff in restoring and repairing treasured antiques.
The show frequently moves viewers to tears, whether reconnecting a woman with her childhood teddy bear or refurbishing a record player that reminded a lady of her late son, who died of cancer at the age of 11, and has even included King Charles III.
However, behind the scenes, one of the show’s stars has suffered a tragic loss.
Dean’s hand, which frequently hurts after a long day of cobbling, was irreparably wounded after snagging his thumb in equipment.
‘I have a squared off thumb,’ he’s revealed.
‘This thumb has been caught on the machine so many times that it’s now squared off.’
Despite the damage, Dean admitted he finds his line of work ‘really fulfilling’, particularly with the emotional stories behind the items people bring in.
He went on to OK!: ‘It’s always a challenge because every pair has a different story.’
‘It’s really fulfilling, he added. ‘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.’
In a recent episode of The Repair Shop, Dean restored a pair of eye-catching 1970s shoes identical to those Sir Elton John wore on stage.
‘I didn’t know he had them when I bought them, I found out about a year or two afterwards that he had them and worn them on stage,’ the owner explains.
‘Not the same colour, mine were much more tasteful!’ he quips.
After restoring them to their previous brilliance with paint touch-ups and a new sole, Dean leaves the owner awestruck and in awe of their new appearance.
‘I never thought you’d be able to achieve that! That is unbelievable!’ he says.
‘It’s like I became a different person when I put them on!’ he adds.
The Repair Shop is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Source My Celebrity Life.