7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
The Repair Shop guest breaks down in tears over item 'this is all I've got of my dad'
The Repair Shop guest Emma was left in floods of tears as she was reunited with a puppet that her father had given her before he died
A guest on The Repair Shop was left in tears after being reunited with the final gift her late father ever presented to her.
During the opening of the BBC One programme, which featured its Favourite Fixes, the specialists discovered that visitor Emma had brought along a puppet her dad had given her back in the 1970s when she was merely eight-years-old.
Emma revealed about the toy, which she named Billy Willy: "He was a present from my dad. My dad got cancer so my nan thought it would be good for him to go to Scotland to a health farm. He was gone probably a couple of months, which is a long time when you're eight.
"I remember he phoned us and said what did we want as a present when he came back. In the 70s, puppets were all the rage! I just asked for a puppet and I got Billy Willy!".
"I was absolutely thrilled with him. It was the last thing that my dad gave me because he died soon after. We don't have many photographs of dad so this is all I've got of my dad. I've got nothing else.
"That's why he's so special. I don't think I ever really went anywhere without him!", reports Edinburgh Live.
Emma confessed that her children "absolutely hate" the puppet because they find it frightening due to the crack across its face and damaged leg, which explained why it needed restoration at the workshop.
The visitor continued: "I think he'd be over the moon to know that Billy Willy was getting a second chance. And hopefully, you know, grandchildren that he'll never see will get to play with him."
In a heartfelt VT, she added: "It's difficult to understand what happens when you lose a parent and you take it with you all through your life. It's always there!".
Later on, an emotional scene unfolded as Emma was tearfully reunited with her cherished Billy Willy, having been restored to his former glory. Emma, who confessed to never having been separated from him before, expressed her excitement about the reveal.
Overwhelmed with emotion upon the return of Billy Willy, Emma burst into tears, exclaiming: "Oh my God! That's amazing! He looks like when he was new! Oh my God, you [the experts] are amazing! He's still the same, oh it's lush, that is so good! He's brilliant, thank you!".
Reflecting further in a video message, she said: "I think it would mean so much to my dad, maybe when dad bought this for me, he knew that I needed something that was going to make me smile. It definitely makes me smile and cry."
The Repair Shop is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
