Fleur East praises Colchester business for restoring personal items

X Factor star, songwriter, and Strictly Come Dancing It Takes Two presenter, Fleur East, has publicly shown her support for the Colchester footwear and handbag aesthetics business, DGSL, in Red Lion Yard.

Fleur spoke about how the business had brought back a 15-year-old designer handbag back to life after manuka honey was spilled in it.

The celebrity posted on her Instagram stories to more than 884,000 followers on Tuesday evening.

She said: “I want to big up my boy Gareth, who has restored something for me, and I am so grateful to him.

Famous - Fleur East attending the ARIAS - Audio and Radio Industry Awards, at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London, last year (Image: Ian West/PA) “So my handbag, it was the first ever designer handbag I brought for myself.

“Once I took it to work, I was performing somewhere, I had a hot flask in it and some manuka honey that I take for my voice.

“The honey spilled out into the bag and absolutely destroyed the bag.

“I looked at it and was like this is completely ruined, it is a write-off, I just accepted no one would be able to do anything to save it.

Before - an image of Fleur's bag (Image: DGSL) After - the bag after Gareth worked on it (Image: DGSL) “I met Gareth, and he saved it.”

She showed before and after pictures of the bag to highlight to her fans “what this man can do”, and said he had “magic hands” which “restored, repaired” and brought the bag back to life.

Fleur continued: “This is not an ad, I don’t benefit from doing this, I wanted to shoutout a small business owner who I think is truly talented, truly gifted, and deserves to be bigged up.”

For DGSL founder, Gareth Tansey, 43, who started the business four years ago in an effort to follow his dreams, he is thrilled with the recognition.

Hard worker - DGSL founder Gareth Tansey (Image: DGSL)

Business - DGSL (Image: DGSL) Gareth said: “At first, I was in shock, just the actual kind words, and going out of her way to talk about it and how she appreciated what I did, I was really taken back.

“I was absolutely buzzing, I was showing my family, it was great.

“It’s rare to have someone do that out of the kindness of their heart.”

The former I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here contestant visited the Colchester store in August to drop the bag off.

Prior to that point, according to Gareth, the pair met at a television studio in London, and she followed the businesses’ Instagram account from there.

After weeks of hard work breaking down the honey, removing it, cleaning it and multiple through cleans, he dropped the reinvigorated bag off to Fleur.

Shop - inside DGSL (Image: DGSL) Event - Fleur East arrives for the Pride of Britain Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, last year (Image: Doug Peters/PA) She was so delighted she also entrusted Gareth with her worn-out wedding shoes and other special items that needed restoring.

The business was previously called Dr G’s Sneaker Laundry but shortened its name after Gareth met Robbie Williams who told him to change the name to DGSL.

It’s been in operation for four years and Gareth has gained famous clients like Leigh Francis, Chloe Veitch, boxer Fabio Wardley, and footballers at Ipswich Town FC.

DGSL also provides clothes repairs, customisations, and more.