If you watch daytime TV in the UK, you have probably seen Irita Marriott. She hunts for treasure on Antiques Road Trip, shops for bargains on Bargain Hunt, and now runs her own auction house on screen. This guide explains who she is, where she comes from, and what she does today. It is written in simple English, so anyone can enjoy it.
Quick Bio Table
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Irita Marriott |
| Born | 1984, Latvia |
| Moved to the UK | 2004, at around age 20 |
| Job | Antiques dealer, valuer, auctioneer, TV presenter |
| Special interest | Porcelain and decorative antiques |
| Known for | Antiques Road Trip, Bargain Hunt, The Greatest Auction, The Derbyshire Auction House |
| TV debut | Antiques Road Trip, 2021 |
| Own business | Irita Marriott Antiques and Irita Marriott Auctioneers |
| Auction house location | Melbourne, South Derbyshire |
| Family | Married, mother of two sons |
| @iritamarriottantiques |
Who Is Irita Marriott?
Irita Marriott is an antiques dealer and auctioneer who became a TV face. Her speaker profile describes her as an antiques expert, decorative antiques specialist, porcelain expert and auctioneer, known for BBC One’s Antiques Road Trip, Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, Bargain Hunt and Channel 4’s The Greatest Auction.
Viewers like her because she is warm, funny and honest about what she loves. On one episode of Antiques Road Trip, the narrator even called her a “force of nature”. She is not shy about spending money on a piece she believes in, and that makes her fun to watch.
Early Life in Latvia
Irita was born in Latvia in 1984. Her speaker profile says she lived in the USA for two years, then went home to visit her family in Latvia, planning to return to America soon after, but life had other plans.
She did not plan a career in antiques as a child. Her story shows that you can start a new life in another country and find a job you truly love later on.
Moving to the UK
A local news report says she arrived in England in 2004 at the age of 20 to build a new life. Her own website says the same thing in other words. She wrote that she moved to the UK in her early twenties and later worked as a cataloguer and valuer at a leading Derbyshire auction house.
Sources tell the early part of her work story a little differently. One news report says she worked as a retail manager at a garden centre in Bradford for seven years before she began dealing in antiques. Her speaker profile says she took a part-time job as a salesroom assistant at a local auction house and stayed for seven years while she also dealt on her own. The details may differ, but the main point is clear: she learned the trade slowly, by doing the work.
A cataloguer describes each item in an auction. A valuer decides what it is worth. These jobs gave her a strong base for everything that came next.
How She Found Her Way onto TV
Irita saw that many TV shows were built around antiques, and she acted on it. She has said she contacted Antiques Road Trip to offer her services.
In 2021 she was announced as a new expert on the BBC show, and she was due to make her first appearance with dealer Timothy Medhurst on a trip around Lincolnshire. She shared the news on Instagram and said she felt proud and happy to join the team.
Antiques Road Trip
In this show, two experts get a classic car, a small budget and a few days to find antiques. Then they sell their finds at auction, and the one with the better profit wins.
Irita has worked with several partners. Some of them are:
- Tim Medhurst, her first partner on the show
- Raj Bisram, with whom she travelled in a Vanden Plas Princess around Wales, the Fens and the Lincolnshire coast
- James Braxton, with whom she toured the south coast of England
- Mark Hill, with whom she set out in a sky blue 1967 Triumph Herald for their first trip together
Her friendship with Mark became real off screen too. She told Hello! magazine that she made a “friend for life” in him.
By 2023 she had appeared in six seasons of the show, and she had also been in Celebrity Antiques Road Trip.
Bargain Hunt and Other Shows
Irita joined Bargain Hunt in 2023. On Bargain Hunt, teams get a small budget, shop at an antiques fair and then try to make a profit at auction. Irita helps as an expert, so her job is to guide the teams and share her knowledge in an easy way.
She has also appeared in The Greatest Auction on Channel 4.
Opening Her Own Auction House
In 2023, Irita took a big step. She opened Irita Marriott Auctioneers in the Derbyshire village of Melbourne, and she described it as something she had wanted to do for a long time. She also spoke about a simple fact: the auction business has been male dominated for a long time, and only a few women run salerooms.
That point matters. It is why many news stories describe her as one of the few women in the country who run an auction house.
She also takes her skills out into the community. In December 2023 she gave free valuations to shoppers at Carlton House in Worksop. A free valuation means people can bring an item and hear what it might be worth.
The Derbyshire Auction House
Her business became its own TV show. The Derbyshire Auction House was commissioned as a ten-episode spin-off for the Really channel, made by STV Studios, and it follows Irita as she builds her business in South Derbyshire. Actor Mathew Horne has narrated the show since it started in 2024.
In each episode, Irita helps people sell items they no longer need or have inherited. The stories are often personal. Here are a few examples from the episode guide:
- She helps a daughter clear her late father’s toy collection and finds a rare spoon that causes a surprise at auction.
- She sells rare and unusual heirlooms to pay for a family’s university dreams.
- She sells a rare diving helmet and some expensive books to help a couple move from a Derbyshire cottage to a retreat in Greece.
The show did well. In December 2024, STV Studios announced that ten new episodes were ordered for a second series. Then, a third series with twelve new episodes began on Quest on 1 April, with episodes also available on Discovery+ and Prime.
When the second series was announced, Irita said she was over the moon, and she joked that opening the auction house took a little blood, sweat and tears.
What Is She Good At?
Irita has a clear love for porcelain. Her speaker profile says she has a particular passion for porcelain items, and that you will often find her at antiques shows around the UK. You can see this on screen. She often goes straight for a beautiful teapot, plate or figure.
She is also strong in decorative antiques, which means items that make a home look good, such as pictures, frames, silver and china. Because she has worked as a cataloguer, valuer and auctioneer, she can look at an item from every side: how it looks, what it is worth and who might want to buy it.
Family Life
Irita keeps her private life quiet. She has confirmed that she is married, but not much is known about her husband. She is a mother of two, and she once described her free-time hobby as hunting for antiques with her two boys in tow.
In a Hello! interview, she said her sons inspired her new solo venture, and she spoke about how hard it can be to be a working mum. Many parents can relate to that.
A small note: a 2022 report said she lived in Bristol with her husband and sons. Her business is now based in Derbyshire, so it is best not to guess where she lives today.
About Net Worth and Age
Some websites share a long list of personal details, such as net worth, exact birthday and family names. Many of these sites do not name a source, and some of them even mix her up with the hotel family with a similar surname. Irita herself has not shared a net worth. For this reason, it is wiser to trust interviews, press releases and her own website.
Why People Like Irita Marriott
There are a few simple reasons.
- She started from the bottom. She moved to a new country and learned the trade step by step.
- She is real. She laughs, makes quick jokes and speaks plainly.
- She helps people. On her show she often helps families sell items when they need the money.
- She opens doors. She runs an auction house in an industry where few women are in charge.
Final Thoughts
Irita Marriott’s story is easy to like. She came from Latvia, learned the antiques trade from the inside and worked her way to TV and her own saleroom. If you enjoy antiques, family stories and a bit of auction drama, her shows are a good place to start. You can also follow her on Instagram to see what she finds next.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is Irita Marriott? She is an antiques dealer, valuer, auctioneer and TV presenter in the UK.
2. Where is Irita Marriott from? She was born in Latvia and moved to England in 2004.
3. How old is Irita Marriott? She was born in 1984, so she is in her early forties.
4. Which TV shows is she in? She is on Antiques Road Trip, Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, Bargain Hunt, The Greatest Auction and The Derbyshire Auction House.
5. When did she join Antiques Road Trip? She joined in 2021, and her first episode aired in May that year.
6. Does she own an auction house? Yes. She opened Irita Marriott Auctioneers in Melbourne, Derbyshire, in 2023.
7. What is The Derbyshire Auction House about? It follows Irita as she builds her saleroom and helps people sell items for good prices.
8. What does she like to collect or sell? She loves porcelain and decorative antiques.
9. Is Irita Marriott married? Yes, she has confirmed she is married, but she does not share much about her husband.
10. Does she have children? Yes. She has two sons.
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