The Repair Shop left viewers in tears when a guest shared the story of a pair of children’s cowboy boots and their connection to celebrities.
The heartwarming series returned for its ninth broadcast on Wednesday night and fans admitted they were overwhelmed to hear the little boots’ backstory.
They were brought to the barn by Diane Wynell-Sutherland, who revealed that they were originally given to her son by her brother, but now belonged to her grandson.
Diane explained the emotional connection to the shoes, as well as her sentimental connection to music legends Elton John and Rod Stewart.
He told the show’s host Jay Blades: ‘They now belong to my eldest grandson, Joss. My brother brought them from America for my son Todd.
The Repair Shop left viewers in tears when a guest shared the story of a pair of children’s cowboy boots and their connection to celebrities.
They were brought to the barn by Diane Wynell-Sutherland, who revealed that they were originally given to her son by her brother, but now belonged to her grandson.
Diane continued: ‘We were very close. There were two years between us and my brother had no children, and he was just my son.’
“I adored my brother because we were so close, and obviously I adored my little boy and brought him all kinds of gifts from America.”
Diane’s brother, Roger Hope, had bought the boots in the United States, where he was working on his first major tour with his rock band, Hookfoot.
She revealed that her support for the tour was none other than Elton John, while Jay gasped at the revelation.
Sharing more of Roger’s story, he said: “He’s been a professional musician since he was 15. He went from a local band to a band called The Soul Agents, and the support there was Rod Stewart.”
Diane added: ‘He [Rod] came to our house. My mother always wanted him to sign the header.
After detailing his success, he revealed that he tragically lost his brother to throat cancer in 2013 and admitted that the boots were the “last” thing he had left of him.
In addition to working with Elton and Rod early in their careers, Hookfoot also appeared on some of Elton’s early recordings.
Shoemaker Dean Westmoreland was then tasked with restoring the boy’s boots to their former glory, and he shared the complicated process with viewers.
The boots had brittle soles that needed replacing and the leather had become worn and discolored.
Roger later became a session musician for both artists on their tours and worked with Elton well into his life.
Speaking of their bond, Diane said: “Elton was very good to my brother when he was sick and Elton paid him a tribute. He was in Las Vegas at the time doing a residency and they played Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.” . ‘
The show then played a clip of Elton performing the song while sharing the news of the death of “his drummer Roger” with his audience.
Diane revealed that they played Elton’s song at Roger’s wake, which she admitted was an emotional moment for the family.
Shoemaker Dean Westmoreland was then tasked with restoring the boy’s boots to their former glory, and he shared the complicated process with viewers.
Throughout the six new episodes, Jay Blades and his experienced team of experts will undertake a host of fascinating and moving solutions.
A small pair of children’s cowboy boots, an instrument called a saz, and a lamp were beautifully restored in the barn.
Once again, viewers were delighted by the “intriguing objects and amazing stories”, calling the show their “weekly crier”.
Sharing their thoughts on X, fans wrote: ‘Oooooo the new #TheRepairShop is about to start. There will be tears…’: ‘Hooray! One of my favorite shows is back.’
They added: ‘A very warm welcome back to #therepairshop. The story behind those sweet cowboy boots is beautiful. There was a lump in my throat when we heard that Elton John had paid tribute to his dear musician friend by singing ‘Don’t let the Sun go Down on Me’. Who am I kidding? Beautiful.
‘#TheRepairShop must be repeated throughout the nation. A blast of positive human warmth, intriguing objects, amazing stories and beautiful, dedicated artisans. Healing things. We needed this show more than we thought.
‘The weekly crying is back with a vengeance! I love #TheRepairShop. Each and every member of the group is brilliant, but once again Kirsten blows me away working on such ‘impossible’ pieces: ‘No, I’m not crying over a fucking lamp, I’ve got something in my eye.’
The Repair Shop returned for its ninth season and fans were already crying just minutes into the first episode on Thursday.
Throughout the six new episodes, Jay Blades and his experienced team of experts will undertake a host of fascinating and moving solutions.
On the show, a pair of cowboy boots connected to legendary singer Elton John were also restored to their former glory.
The latest series will also feature one of the series’ biggest challenges, the attempt to save a couch, which tells a moving story of the AIDS crisis of the 1980s.
Host Jay said: ‘If you’re super excited about the return of The Repair Shop, you’re not the only one.
“We work very hard to make sure people’s dreams come true, so being able to show them what we’ve done is very exciting.”
He added: “The show is going from strength to strength, and I think that’s just because we’re talking about community, it’s about working together as a team and achieving a common goal for someone.”
Jay, 54, and the BBC One show’s experts have saved more than a thousand precious objects and historical artefacts since its launch in 2017.
Some of the most memorable repairs over the years include the rocking horse, a Jewish prayer book that survived the Theresienstadt concentration camp, a handle used to travel on the Windrush ships, and a 2,000-year-old Chinese statue of antiquity.
Once again, viewers were delighted by the “intriguing objects and amazing stories”, calling the show their “weekly crier”.
A small pair of children’s cowboy boots, an instrument called a saz, and a lamp were beautifully restored in the barn.