Suzie Fletcher is the leather and saddle expert on The Repair Shop (Image: Adam Gerrard/OK! Magazine)

The Repair Shop's Suzie Fletcher says she 'had a breakdown' after filming hit show

Suzie Fletcher is one of the experts on BBC's The Repair Shop and has opened up about her life in her memoir, 'The Sun Over The Mountains', including her "breakdown"

by · Birmingham Live

Suzie Fletcher, renowned for her expertise in leather and saddles on The Repair Shop, has shared details about her life in the US in her memoir, 'The Sun Over The Mountains'.

Suzie, who spent 22 years living stateside, met her husband Rob shortly after relocating. After 15 years of marriage, Rob tragically passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2013.

In her memoir, Suzie recounts how she left her farm in 2017 and returned to the UK. She confessed to discarding "so much", including photographs and letters that were "shredded" and keepsakes that were "thrown away".

Suzie shared: "I was travelling light but my heart was heavy. It's funny how we say someone has 'baggage' - I definitely did."

She went on to say: "I don't think I realised just how laden down I'd become until I had a breakdown sometime after filming the first series of The Repair Shop. Even after experiencing moments of panic in the US, I didn't know what was happening.

Suzie Fletcher lived in the United States for 22 years (Image: BBC)

"My body had been flooded with cortisol and adrenaline for so long that I had to retrain myself how to breathe and keep calm. It's taken time to rationalise what I've been through and even longer to repair the damage."

She explained that once filming ended, she was "suddenly confronted" with everything she'd been through but also felt like she was "suspended" in uncertainty. Suzie even considered returning to the US as the UK felt "so unfamiliar" and she felt "fragile".

She also said she was missing her animals and felt "completely lost and rootless". However, she said it came as a "relief" when The Repair Shop's production team made contact with her to ask if she'd like to star in another season of the show.

Suzie's feelings of "fright and flight" diminished once she said yes and over time, which included establishing a new routine and being around friends and family, she started to heal.

She added that she gave Rob "all of my heart" and she feels "pleased" that she was able to help him through his "final months of life", saying it was a "privilege to be with him until the end".