Repair Shop’s Suzie Fletcher says she didn’t feel ‘terribly smart’ at school while battling dyslexia
The Repair Shop’s Suzie Fletcher admits she didn’t feel ‘terribly smart’ at school because she was dyslexic – but says her love of horses gave her an ‘outlet’
The Repair Shop’s Suzie Fletcher has revealed that she grew up believing she “wasn’t very smart” because of her dyslexia.
The Oxfordshire saddler, who is in his sixties, appeared on BBC Woman’s Hour to promote her new memoir The Sun Over The Mountains.
Speaking to host Krupa Thakrar Padhy, the TV star talked about the challenges she faced in school.
She explained, “If I hadn’t been artistic and had this outlet for a love of nature and animals, I would have really suffered emotionally.”
Looking back on her time as a teacher, Suzie explained that she didn’t feel “terribly good” about herself because she wasn’t seen as “academic” at school.
Suzie said at the time that she struggled with undiagnosed dyslexia, which teachers at her school knew little about.
The common learning disability – which affects more than six million people in the UK – can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling.
Suzie continued, “So growing up I didn’t think I was very smart.”
However, the presenter said her love of horses was an “outlet” that made her “feel good” about herself.
In an excerpt from her new book, which appeared in the Daily Mail last week, Suzie shared how she took an interest in animals from an incredibly young age.
She explained, “My dad used to joke that ‘horse’ was the first word I spoke. I was obsessed with these huge, powerful creatures from an early age.
“So it came as no surprise to anyone that when I was sixteen I went on to train as a master saddler at Cordwainers College in London.”
In 2017, Suzie joined the team of experts on the hugely popular BBC series The Repair Shop – having lived in the US for two decades.
Suzie Fletcher has opened up about feeling ‘not very smart’ at school because she’s dyslexic (appearing on Lorraine earlier this week to promote her new memoir The Sun Over The Mountains)
Suzie (pictured with The Repair Shop host Jay Blades) has been the show’s resident saddle expert since 2017
Pictured: Suzie with her brother Steve, who followed their father into the watchmaking profession
Her brother Steve also appears on the show as the house clock expert.
Explaining how the opportunity to appear on the show came about, Suzie said, “During several video calls, [Steve] told me how much he loved doing it.
“‘Well, if they ever need a leather specialist, tell them about me,’ I joked.
“It was really a throwaway comment, but Steve asked the production team.”
Last month, Suzie fought back tears when she told Steve that their dad “would be so proud” after they restored a 100-year-old watch together.
Appearing on the Relatively podcast in February, Suzie explained how her father — who was a watchmaker — “didn’t give up on her” when she was struggling in school.
She explained, “We didn’t know that my problem with education was based on the fact that I’m dyslexic, and he didn’t give up on me.
“He knew I was just very artistic and very athletic and just let me be with the horses, and I’m a happy person.”
When she decided to pursue a career in a male-dominated industry, Suzie credited her father for going out of his way to introduce her to the “right people” in the saddle world.