Walk through any antiques fair in Britain, and you’ll likely spot her—a red-haired woman flipping through dusty boxes at 3am, searching for hidden treasures. Irita Marriott was born in March 1984 in Latvia, and today she’s one of the most recognized faces on BBC’s antiques programming. Her story doesn’t follow the typical path of British television personalities. She arrived in England with an English dictionary and zero connections. Now she owns an auction house and appears regularly on some of Britain’s most-watched daytime shows.
Who Is Irita Marriott?
Irita Marriott works as an antiques expert, auctioneer, and television personality. You’ve probably seen her on BBC’s Antiques Road Trip or Bargain Hunt, where she hunts for undervalued items and shares her knowledge with viewers. She owns Irita Marriott Auctioneers and Valuers in Derbyshire—one of only a handful of female-led auction houses across the UK. What sets her apart? She taught herself everything about antiques. No university degrees in art history. No family business to inherit. Just determination and seven years of absorbing knowledge at a Derbyshire auction house.
Her specialty lies in decorative European antiques—pieces that combine historical charm with modern appeal. She sources items during frequent buying trips across Europe, building a client base that spans multiple countries.
Early Life in Latvia
Irita spent her childhood on a self-sufficient farm in Soviet-era Latvia, where her family lived off what they could forage, grow, or catch. This wasn’t a charming rural lifestyle—it was survival. When her parents divorced at age six, they moved to Valmiera, and financial struggles intensified. She recalls walking along riverbanks to collect leftover food from barbecue sites. Fishing at dawn meant catching breakfast for the day.
These experiences built the resilience she’d need later. Despite dreams of becoming a professional athlete (she excelled at running and basketball), three concussions ended those plans. An English teacher told her she’d “be a no one” without English. That comment changed everything.
The Journey to England
At 20, Irita left Latvia for New York, working as an au pair with only an English dictionary in her bag. She learned the language in three months by immersing herself with the children she cared for. After nearly two years in America, she visited family in Latvia but was denied re-entry to the US due to visa issues.
On a Latvian street, she saw a photo of Big Ben and made a split-second decision—she’d move to London. During the bus ride to the UK, she met five Latvian men who lacked English skills but had housing contacts. She helped them secure accommodation in Bradford and immediately found work at a garden centre. That temporary Christmas position turned into seven years as she climbed to department manager and buyer—skills that would prove invaluable in her antiques career.
Discovering Antiques
Irita’s entry into antiques happened by accident. After moving to Derbyshire with her husband, her mother-in-law introduced her to the trade. She’d never knowingly handled an antique before that moment. To learn the business, she took a part-time job at a Derbyshire auction house as a salesroom assistant in 2012.
For seven years, she absorbed everything about provenance, restoration, and market values while cataloguing and valuing items. She’s entirely self-taught—no formal education in history or art. Starting with car boot sales and small fairs (often arriving at 3am for the best picks), she built expertise while raising two young sons. Her focus on decorative European antiques set her apart from dealers who specialized in furniture or silver.
Television Breakthrough
BBC’s Bargain Hunt filmed Irita at antiques fairs multiple times, sparking her interest in television work. As a devoted fan of Antiques Road Trip, she tracked down the executive producer’s phone number and called him directly. After six months of auditions and screen tests, she received the call in 2021—she’d been accepted despite fierce competition from established dealers.
Her debut paired her with fellow expert Tim Medhurst, and viewers responded immediately to her warmth and expertise. She’s since become a regular on Antiques Road Trip, Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, Bargain Hunt, and Channel 4’s The Greatest Auction. In 2024, she fronted her own series, The Derbyshire Auction House on Really TV, which follows her as she launches her auction business.
Antiques Expert and Auctioneer
Irita specializes in decorative antiques sourced from frequent buying trips across Europe. Her eye for combining European charm with contemporary style attracts both collectors and interior designers. She founded Irita Marriott Antiques in 2020, building an international clientele through careful sourcing and fair pricing.
However, she wanted something more permanent—a business she could pass to her sons. As a dealer, everything depended on her personal efforts. In 2023, she opened Irita Marriott Auctioneers and Valuers in Melbourne, Derbyshire. The venture succeeded beyond expectations. She describes one family leaving her auction with £28,000 after discovering the true value of inherited items. She calls herself a “new generation dealer” working to modernize a traditional industry that often resists change.
Irita Marriott Age
At 41 years old in 2025, Irita represents a younger generation in the antiques world. Most established dealers were over 60 when she started. Her age works as an advantage—she bridges traditional knowledge with contemporary media presence. In just 13 years since entering the industry, she’s accomplished what takes most dealers decades: built expertise, launched two businesses, and achieved television success.
Is Irita Marriott Married?
Irita Marriott is married, though she keeps her husband’s identity private. The couple lives and works in Derbyshire (some sources mention Bristol). Her husband doesn’t work in antiques but has been her strongest supporter throughout her career—managing family responsibilities during filming and encouraging her auction house venture. Despite public curiosity, Irita maintains firm boundaries between her professional and personal life.
Her Two Sons
Irita and her husband have two sons. She frequently mentions her boys as primary motivation for her work ethic and business decisions. They sometimes accompany her to antique fairs and are developing their own interest in the field, though there’s zero pressure for them to follow her path. She describes balancing motherhood with her demanding career—early morning sourcing trips, five-day filming schedules, and running an auction house—as challenging but manageable thanks to family support.
Irita Marriott Net Worth
Industry experts estimate Irita Marriott’s net worth between £500,000 and £1 million, though some sources suggest up to £1.5 million. Her income comes from multiple streams. Television appearances on BBC shows typically pay established experts £1,000-£5,000 per episode, with higher rates for popular personalities. Regular slots on multiple shows provide consistent income and publicity.
Her antiques dealership serves a global clientele. High-quality European decorative pieces can fetch substantial sums, particularly when sourced at favorable prices. The auction house generates revenue through seller commissions, buyer premiums, and valuation services. As her profile grows, speaking engagements at corporate events and antiques industry talks add to her earnings.
She reinvests profits into inventory and business growth rather than displaying wealth—a practical approach consistent with her upbringing.
Breaking Barriers in Antiques
When Irita started dealing in her late twenties, she was the youngest person at every fair, facing misogyny from older male dealers who’d say “you can’t afford that” or “be careful, it’s old”. As a young woman in a field dominated by men over 60, she encountered constant skepticism about her knowledge and financial resources.
Opening a female-led auction house addresses this imbalance—there are only a handful in the entire UK. She speaks openly about the industry’s outdated attitudes while encouraging younger generations to enter the trade. Her success challenges traditional gatekeeping and proves that passion and self-education can rival formal credentials.
The Derbyshire Auction House
Her Reality TV series captures the pressures of starting a business while filming television and raising two children. Viewers see her help families discover treasures in their homes, conduct auctions, and navigate the emotional moments when sellers receive life-changing sums. The show humanizes the auction process and demonstrates Irita’s ability to connect with people from all backgrounds—a skill honed through her own experiences of hardship and reinvention.
What Makes Irita Marriott Different
Several factors distinguish Irita from traditional antiques experts. She’s completely self-taught, entering the field with no background in art history or formal antiques education. Her Latvian perspective gives her a unique lens on European decorative pieces that British dealers might overlook. She started her career after 30—proving success doesn’t require early specialization or family connections.
Her immigrant journey and childhood poverty create authenticity when discussing the value and history of objects. She understands what it means to go without, which informs how she treats clients and values items. She balances traditional expertise with modern media skills, making antiques accessible to younger audiences who might find the industry intimidating.
Her business acumen extends beyond pure collecting knowledge. Founding a dealership and auction house while appearing on television demonstrates her understanding of branding, marketing, and customer service in ways traditional dealers often miss.
Legacy and Impact
Irita still finds it “weird” that people recognize her and considers it “ridiculous” that she has an agent, sometimes feeling like an imposter despite her success. This humility, combined with her willingness to share her story openly, makes her relatable to viewers who see their own struggles reflected in her journey.
She represents a new generation of antiques experts who combine traditional knowledge with contemporary presentation. Her impact extends beyond sales and television ratings—she’s opening doors for women in a male-dominated industry, inspiring career changers, and proving that circumstances of birth don’t determine outcomes. Her journey from Soviet-era Latvia to BBC screens demonstrates that expertise can be acquired through dedication rather than privilege.
Irita Marriott’s story resonates because it’s real. She didn’t inherit a business or attend prestigious schools. She worked garden centres, learned English from children, and spent seven years as an assistant before anyone took her seriously. Now she owns an auction house and teaches millions about antiques every week. That’s not just a career success—it’s proof that determination can rewrite your entire life story.
