BBC The Repair Shop guest bursts into tears as they tell experts 'I'm shaking'

It was a rollercoaster of emotions for The Repair Shop viewers on Wednesday night. During the episode, audiences met Annette, a woman seeking help to restore her cherished doll to its original state.

Annette shared her story with expert toy restorers Amanda and Julie, revealing that she received the doll when she was 11-years-old, during the turbulent period known as the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

She recounted her childhood experiences, saying: "When the Troubles in Northern Ireland started, we had bomb scares.

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"We had a lot of shooting, ordinary people were killed just because of religion. Our childhood, wasn't really happy, you were frightened."

Intrigued, Amanda asked how the doll factored into Annette's life story. The guest explained that she was removed from the conflict-ridden environment at a young age and taken to a peaceful place, reports .

She said: "We were taken to Holland. We were all given host families and my host family took in one protestant child and one catholic child, so that we could get to know a child from another background."

Annette spoke highly of her time in Holland, revealing that she formed a strong bond with the other Irish girl who lived with her host family. Their friendship continued for many years after they returned to Derry.

She concluded: "At the end of our stay with our host family, they presented us with little dolls and I just fell in love with her, she means so much. I swore that I would look after her, but unfortunately- it's so sad."

However, Amanda informed the guest that the damage seemed to be due to natural aging, and then she inquired about how she would like the doll to be repaired.

Considering that the doll was missing its eyes, Annette clarified that they had dropped inside its head and expressed her wish to see them fixed. She also entertained the idea of fitting the doll with small wooden clogs.

Once the restoration was complete by Amanda and Jill, along with the help of expert Will Kirk who crafted some tiny wooden shoes, Annette was overjoyed to see her doll looking as good as new.

Tears were quickly flowing from Annette when she laid eyes on the fixed doll as she whispered: "She's beautiful!"

Holding her closely for a better look, it was evident from her reaction that the transformation had made quite an impression.

Annette added: "I'm shaking! That's unbelievable. I don't know what to say, I am really, really shocked. Her hair and everything, you washed it!"

With deep sentiment, she mused: "This wee doll, I'm just back there the way I can remember how I got her, she's beautiful, honestly."

Even more astounding to Annette was the fact that they had succeeded in making miniature clogs for the doll.

She added: "Now she's a dutch doll isn't she, that is beautiful, thank you ever so much."

The Repair Shop is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.