Teddy Bear Ladies Julie Tatchell and Amanda Middleditch are renowned for their close partnership on The Repair Shop.
The cherished pair collaborate to restore visitors’ most treasured possessions on the BBC favourite.
Dubbed the ‘Teddy Bear Ladies’, they devote themselves to reviving childhood teddies and other cherished soft toys.
The duo are scheduled to feature on Love Your Garden with Alan Titchmarsh today (June 14), and the presenter may probe them about their tight-knit relationship.
Prior to their appearance on the ITV favourite, here’s everything you need to know about The Repair Shop stars.
View 3 ImagesThe teddy bear experts aren’t related(Image: BBC)
Given how intimately the pair collaborate, numerous viewers have questioned whether Julie and Amanda are actually related.
While they undoubtedly share a tight bond, the teddy bear specialists aren’t related in any way, but have remained steadfast friends and professional colleagues for at least 15 years.
The duo initially teamed up in 2006, united by their mutual enthusiasm for inspiring others to take up needlework. They later combined this with refurbishing teddy bears and soft toys by conducting workshops with youngsters and their parents at imaginative birthday celebrations.
Julie and Amanda ultimately opted to concentrate exclusively on teddy bear restoration as their full-time career, resulting in the creation of their enterprise, Bear It In Mind, now firmly established in the New Forest.
View 3 Images
The duo joined The Repair Shop in 2017 and have continued to work on the show together since then
(Image: Instagram/theteddybearladies)
The pair joined The Repair Shop back in 2017, hoping the programme would further encourage people to take up needlework.
They revealed on the Bear It In Mind website: “There may even be a new generation of repairers developing as we speak, together with growing interest in the history and stories behind the once flourishing manufacture of soft toys in Britain.”
Unfortunately, Bear It In Mind no longer accepts new restoration commissions, having chosen to focus on championing and safeguarding the traditional craft.
Beyond their online presence, Julie and Amanda have launched their podcast, Bearly Begun, and published their children’s book, Bartie Bristle, last year.
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The story centres around a charming teddy bear shop and chronicles the adventures of Bartie and his cherished cuddly friends.
Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh airs Sundays from 9.30am and you can stream The Repair Shop on BBC iPlayer.