The Repair Shop expert announces heartbreaking death of 'wonderful' BBC star - paying tribute to their 'lasting legacy' beyond show

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A The Repair Shop expert has announced the heartbreaking death of a 'wonderful' BBC star.

Art conservator Lucia Scalisi paid tribute to Maria Kirk, who appeared on the show back in March 2023, on her Instagram account earlier this week. 

Maria brought in a very special painting that survived a Second World War labour camp as part of the first episode of the 12th series, and Lucia managed to bring it back to life. 

But earlier this week Lucia took to social media to pay tribute tribute Maria and her 'lasting legacy' after learning that she had passed away.

Lucia said: 'It is with sadness I learned today that the wonderful Maria Kirk passed last night. You may remember the painting she brought into @therepairshoptv and her story. 

'Her grandmother with her two daughters - one was to become Maria’s mum - took it from their family Church in Ukraine during the war.

The Repair Shop Lucia Scalisi expert has announced the heartbreaking death of a 'wonderful' BBC star  Maria Kirk (pictured left, with Lucia and Jay Blades)

Art conservator Lucia Scalisi paid tribute to Maria Kirk, who appeared on the show back in March 2023, on her Instagram account earlier this week  (pictured)

Lucia took to her Instagram to pay tribute tribute Maria and her 'lasting legacy' beyond show after passing away

'The women ran the gauntlet of both Russian and German enemy, captured and sent to work camps. The painting was hidden inside her grans coat. 

'It was Maria’s wish to get the painting back to the village where the exact space on the Church wall awaits - as do her family. 

'To this end Maria worked tirelessly spreading the word through exhibitions and talks in schools and community centres and at Londons @artinthecity @painterstainers.

'Let us hope peace prevails to this end, it will be Maria’s lasting legacy.'

Explaining the history behind the beloved painting during the original episode, Maria said: 'My grandfather was a Ukrainian Catholic priest. He was given this by his father when he was ordained. It hung in his church.'

She continued: 'In the outbreak of the second world war, my mother, my aunt and my grandmother were escaping from the Russians, who were one side, the Germans were the other side.

'So they decided to take the painting with them. So they rolled it up and stitched it into a winter coat. So it was safe.

'Eventually, my mother, my aunt, and my grandmother were captured by the Germans and sent to a labour camp.

Lucia told Maria during the episode: 'It is incredible it survived. It became even more previous'

Maria said: 'I went to see my aunt, she was very sick and so she told me she wanted me to have the painting. This is all I've got, you know, I haven't got any other tangible proof that they even, you know, existed'

'My grandmother died in the camp, of starvation.  

'Then when the war ended, my mum decided to come to England, my aunt stayed in Germany, they decided my aunt would have the painting.

'I went to see my aunt, she was very sick, and so she told me she wanted me to have the painting.

'This is all I've got, you know, I haven't got any other proof that they even, you know, existed.'

'It's a really sad poignant story. What a life story, Maria,' Lucia replied. 

Maria told her: 'It sort of,  it makes me realise... I'm going to cry... How brave they were to do this, because they could have easily have been robbed. They could have been shot.

'Now, the faith and the bravery to just do it and hide it in the coat, and to carry it through the whole war.'

Lucia told her: 'It is incredible it survived. It became even more previous.'

'Yes, because that was it, that's all they'd got,' Maria replied. 

Maria was absolutely speechless and burst into tears when she got to see the end result. 'Oh my goodness,' Maria said as she burst into tears

Maria said of the restored painting: 'The colours. It's alive. It's just her eyes, just doing a normal thing that a mother does, feeding a baby, looking at the baby with such peace'

'You know, I'd like to do something with it, for their memory. ' 

So Lucia explained the damage was caused by it being rolled up, but Maria told her that that she didn't want to lose the markings on it from that. 

She also confessed that her dream was to take it back to the village in Ukraine that it came from, and put it back in the church. 

'The church is still standing. The church is still there,' Maria said.

Fighting back the tears, she continued: 'With everything that's happening in the Ukraine... it's meant to be.' 

Later on in the episode, Lucia started to clean the dirt that had been built up over the years, which gave it a dramatic change, as well as filling the areas that were exposed canvas. 

Maria was absolutely speechless when she got to see the end result.

'Oh my goodness,' Maria said as she burst into tears. 'It's beautiful! Thank you!  

'The colours. It's alive. It's just her eyes, just doing a normal thing that a mother does, feeding a baby. It's beautiful. I can't believe it. Thank you.'

Lucia asked: 'What do you think that your mum would be saying right now?'

An emotional Maria told her: 'The same. Thank you. She told me so much about it and I couldn't envisage what it would be like. 

'Not long before she died, she told me that when they were captured, they were all given little patches to sew on their clothes that said "Ostarbeiter", which meant East European slave labour. 

'And my mum didn't want to put it on the coat. She said that my grandmother has said to her "Just put it on. It's not what's on the outside of your coat, it's what's going to keep us together inside". 

'And I understand why they took it. Yeah, I understand now. Now I get it.

'I would love one day to be able to take it back to Ukraine, but I don't know if I will be able to. I will never, ever, ever, ever, forget this. I just want to hug everybody!'

The Repair Shop airs on BBC One and is available to stream on iPlayer.