'I'm an Antiques Road Trip expert and this is the toughest part about my job'
Irita Marriott, one of television's beloved antiques experts, has been gracing our screens since 2021.
She first shot to fame on BBC's Bargain Hunt, quickly winning the hearts of viewers nationwide. Irita has since become a regular presenter and antiques expert on Antiques Road Trip and Antiques Roadshow, before launching her own show, The Derbyshire Auction House, in 2023.
Now, the Latvian antiques dealer stars in a second series of her daytime show on REALLY, which began airing on May 5. While promoting her upcoming series, the mother-of-two revealed some of the challenges of her job that fans might not be aware of.
In an exclusive chat with the Express, she confessed that she often plays the role of a "therapist as well as an auctioneer" when sellers struggle to part with items they have strong emotional ties to.
She shared: "You always have to take emotions into account with everything that we do.
"We are therapists as well as auctioneers because every single day, people walk through our doors, and there will be people who are vulnerable. Whether that's people who have lost somebody, or that items have a lot of memories and attachments, so you always have to be gentle."
(Image: PR Handout)
The TV personality gave an example from the forthcoming series in which she had to reassure a client who was apprehensive about selling her mother's items on the show. Irita reminisced, "In this series, we had a lady who was selling her mother's items, and she was very cautious.
"During the clearance, she was very strong and brave with it, and she said, 'No, it all needs to go'. But then afterwards, it took us quite a few phone calls and a lot of messages and a lot of communication to reassure them that those items won't just be sold for £5 or £10.
"The items she had are desirable, and they will go to someone who wants them again rather than being stuck in the drawers.
"So sometimes it's just talking people through the process and how it all works and what's going to happen, because when you've never sold anything in the auction, it's a scary environment."
(Image: BBC)
She also shed light on the occasional tension between auctioneers and sellers regarding the pricing and sale of items. BBC star Irita added: "As auctioneers, we all love a come-and-get-me estimate, and if there is a cheeky way of getting away with the lower estimate, we are going to say that.
"But from the seller's perspective, it's about building that trust with us and ensuring that they can really believe in what we say, that there is nothing to be worried about. That the items will sell and they will do well, but I think for a lot of people that's the scary bit – but that is also what makes good TV and what makes amazing results at auction."
The Derbyshire Auction House is available to watch on REALLY.
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