Ahead of his documentary tonight, The Repair Workshop's Jay Blades, MBE, recalled the heartbreaking moment he experienced as a child in school.
The 51-year-old who features on the emotional BBC show will feature in his very own show tonight as he learns to read by sharing his struggles and revealing that he couldn't read until he was in his 30s.
The BBC star, who also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing's Christmas special, previously said that he broke down in tears after being unable to read a letter from his daughter.
Blades told the Radio Times that he was told he would amount to nothing and it was heartbreaking to hear.
He said: "People are embarrassed to admit they’re dyslexic. I’m 51 years old, and I'm getting taught like I’m a kid again."
He later recalled how he asked his teacher when most people learn about reading, believing it was something taught at university level and was "gutted" that he wasn't taught how to do so.
Jay was then placed in the "Ls" group at his school as a child, which stood for "learners".
He continued: "The L became for loser rather than for learning, so they told us effectively we weren’t there to learn.
"That disincentivised us from the start. The way the other students were treated by the teachers and the support they received was completely different.
"When the teacher tells you you’re a dunce and you’re never going to amount to anything, that sticks with you."
"People are embarrassed to admit they’re dyslexic. I’m 51 years old, and I’m getting taught like I’m a kid again."
Blades later spoke to BBC's Zoe Ball about what had happened when he was discussing his future.
He said: "My careers teacher said I wasn't going to amount to anything. You know when everybody used to line up to see the careers officer?
"He saw me come to the table and said, 'Blades, you're going to amount to nothing - next!' And he looked behind me."
"For me it is always about inspiring people, the whole point around the documentary was to show people if I can do it at the age I'm at, then you can give it a go.
"The other reason was to read my daughter a bedtime story, I've never done that and she's 15 years old now. I feel unbelievable about learning."
The Repair Workshop continues tonight (January 26) on BBC One at 8pm.
Jay Blades: Learning to Read at 51 will also air on BBC One tonight at 9pm just after the Repair Workshop.
