Suzie Fletcher admitted that she was completely surprised by her emotional reaction while filming The Repair Shop when a beloved rocking horse moved her to tears.
Suzie is a self-professed horse lover and specialises in leather and saddle making and was commissioned to help Julie restore a toy horse from her childhood for her grandchildren.
In the 2020 episode, Julie shared that she and her late husband Paul Yates originally restored the horse when they had children, with Paul leaving his signature and the date under the saddle.
Years later, the couple planned to fully restore the horse for their grandchildren, but Paul was diagnosed with terminal cancer and passed away before he could complete the project.
During the incident, Suzie was moved to tears when she discovered Paul’s signature under the saddle, a poignant moment as her own husband had also died of cancer, the Express reports.
In her book “The Sun Over The Mountains,” Suzie reflects on this emotional television moment: “The handwriting of a loved one is very special after their death. I have precious notes and cards from my late husband Rob.”
She added: “Some of the words were scribbled on scraps of paper, but I treasure them and find comfort in looking at them from time to time, so I understood Julie’s request. ‘I really hope it’s here,’ I said as I peeled off the leather.
“When I saw Paul’s signature, I bit my lip to hold back the tears. But sometimes you can’t hold back your grief, and in that moment I revealed to the camera the tragedy of my own life and how I had lost my husband to cancer.
“I didn’t expect to break down like that, but the trigger was huge and I had been bottling it all up for so long.”
Suzie’s brother Steve, who also appears in the series, immediately consoled her during the scene, rushing over to hug and comfort his sister.
When Julie finally returned to the repair shop, she saw the signature and rushed over to hug Suzie and thank her for her hard work.
She said: “I can’t tell you how happy I am and wish Paul was here to see it. This brings the story full circle.”
Suzie joined us in 2018 during the second series of BBC’s The Repair Shop. The expert became part of the show after making a “casual” comment to Steve.
She wrote: ‘While I was packing my things to move back to the UK, my big brother Steve had started The Repair Shop.
“In several video calls he told me how much fun he was having.
“If they ever need a leather expert, tell them about me,” I joked. It was really an offhand remark, but Steve went away and asked the production team.
“I never thought they would say yes and I would be on the show.”
