Antiques Road Trip star Irita Marriott says 'my upbringing was tough' as she shares rare insight
Irita Marriott has been captivating audiences since her debut on BBC's Bargain Hunt in 2021.
Her popularity soon led to regular appearances as a presenter and antiques expert on Antiques Road Trip and Antiques Roadshow. She later launched her own show, The Derbyshire Auction House, in 2023.
Irita, a mum-of-two with Latvian roots, is set to return with a second series of her Really daytime show on May 5. But life hasn't always been kind to Irita, as she revealed her difficult childhood.
While promoting her new show, she shared her aspirations and childhood memories in an exclusive chat with the Express. The antiques expert even opened up about her "ultimate dream" and the "one thing" that would ease her heartbreaking upbringing.
The Bargain Hunt star explained: "When I was a little girl, my upbringing was tough, put it that way. We were poor, my dad was a lifelong alcoholic and times were hard.
"But the one thing that my mum and me used to watch on telly to kind of take our minds off things was ballroom dancing. And I remember being very little and twirling around the house and I wanted to be that girl in a feather-bottomed gown twirling around the floor being completely free and feeling like there is no weight in the world at all."
(Image: (Image: BBC))
Irita revealed how appearing on a show like BBC's Strictly Come Dancing would be a dream come true. She said: "I mean, if there were some crazy stars aligning – which I can't ever see actually happening.
"If I could make that one thing happen, I don't care what the show would be, if someone can make that happen, that would be the ultimate dream for me."
The star shared that she and her family are huge fans of the ballroom dance competition, with her sons even selecting her ideal partner from the BBC programme.
She added: "Honestly, my kids and I, we are absolutely obsessed with Strictly at home. My boys watch it and we all write charts and we have paddles and everything.
"And they've discussed between them who my partner would be if I was ever on and things like that, and they've both said the same thing. They said, 'We would love to see you on it but we want you to be out in week one'.
"Ideally, they want me to be partnered with Johannes [Radebe]. They say, 'Mummy, mummy, you need to be with Johanes, he looks very kind, he's really handsome'.
"My youngest one said in this year's series of Strictly, there was a moment where Johannes teared up and he said to me, 'He has a very kind heart'. And I thought, 'If you ever want a partner in your life for anything, you want one with a kind heart'."
The Derbyshire Auction House returns for a second series on Really on May 5
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