Let’s kick this off with a quick look at Irita Marriott. She’s this Latvian-born expert who’s made a real name for herself in the antiques world, popping up on British TV screens like it’s no big deal. You might recognize her from shows such as Antiques Road Trip or Bargain Hunt, where she hunts down treasures and shares her knowledge with that infectious enthusiasm. What really grabs you about her story is how she went from a tough childhood in Latvia to becoming a go-to figure in the UK antiques scene – it’s the kind of underdog tale that sticks with you.
Growing Up and Finding Her Spark
Irita was born back in March 1984 in Latvia, right in the middle of a big family on a rural farm where they pretty much lived off the land. Times were hard; after her folks split when she was just six, they moved to Valmiera, scraping by on whatever they could find – think fishing for breakfast or picking through riverbanks for scraps. She threw herself into sports like running and basketball, even dreaming of going pro, but a string of concussions put an end to that.
School wasn’t much easier. One teacher flat-out told her she’d never amount to anything, which just lit a fire under her. At 18 or 19, she headed to the US as an au pair in New York, barely speaking English and clutching a couple of dictionaries to get by. It was brutal work, looking after kids while picking up the language, but it toughened her up. Antiques? That passion didn’t hit until way later – nothing in her early days pointed to old treasures.
Getting Started in Antiques
Her path into antiques was kind of accidental. After a couple of years in the States, visa issues kept her out, so at 20, she picked the UK on a whim – all because of a photo of Big Ben. Landing in Bradford, she spent eight years at a garden center, climbing up to manage departments until layoffs hit. That’s when her mother-in-law tossed her a curveball: a £1,800 lot from an auction that Irita had to sell off to pay back. No clue what she was doing at first, but she dove in, researching like crazy, hitting fairs, and actually turning a profit. She got hooked fast.
The early days weren’t smooth. Being a young woman in her 20s in a field full of older guys meant dealing with snide comments and folks assuming she didn’t know her stuff or couldn’t afford the goods. But she pushed through, starting as a part-time cataloguer at a Derbyshire auction house. Over time, she built a solid rep as someone fresh, drawing in younger crowds with her focus on porcelain and pretty decorative pieces.
Breaking into TV
TV came calling sort of sideways. She’d show up as a seller on Bargain Hunt episodes filmed at fairs, and being a huge fan of Antiques Road Trip, she took a shot in 2019 by cold-calling the producer. After months of auditions, she debuted in 2021 and hasn’t looked back. Now she’s on everything from Celebrity Antiques Road Trip to Channel 4’s The Greatest Auction, and even her own gig, The Derbyshire Auction House, which kicked off in 2024.
What makes her stand out on screen is that down-to-earth vibe – she’s warm, funny, and knows her onions without coming off stuffy. Fans love those moments like when she and Mark Hill spotted a rare blue duck on Road Trip, or digging out a spoon that fetched £3,300 from some forgotten cupboard. Then there was helping a family rake in £28,000 – stuff like that shows her real skill at spotting gems and making it exciting.
Read also: Marj Hogarth: Her Amazing Ride from a Small Island to Big Stages
Building Her Own Empire: Irita Marriott Antiques
She didn’t stop at dealing; Irita launched her own business specializing in porcelain and those eye-catching decorative arts that tell a story. By September 2023, she’d opened Irita Marriott Auctioneers and Valuers in Melbourne, Derbyshire – one of the rare female-run auction houses around. Her show, The Derbyshire Auction House, gives a peek into it all, with lots that surprise you and a push to get new folks into antiques. It’s all about her love for the history behind things, mixed with a modern twist to keep it fresh.
Life Beyond the Gavel
On the personal side, Irita’s married to a guy who’s super supportive but stays out of the limelight – she calls him her rock, believing in her more than she does sometimes. They’ve got two boys, about 7 and 9 now, and the family’s settled in Derbyshire. Balancing it all is tricky with those long filming days, but she makes it work, even turning family time into mini treasure hunts to spark the kids’ interest without forcing it.
When she’s not knee-deep in antiques, she loves zipping around in sports cars – a holdover from her teen days drag racing on Latvian runways. It’s that adrenaline kick that probably helps her handle the Road Trip drives too.
Money, Milestones, and Impact
Word is her net worth sits somewhere between £500,000 and £2 million, pulled from TV gigs, sales, her shop, auctions, and valuations. Big wins include her auctioneer debut in early 2024 and getting that auction house up and running. In the antiques crowd, she’s a trailblazer, especially for women – showing up young and holding her own in a boys’ club, inspiring others to jump in.
Online and Connecting with Fans
She’s pretty active online, mostly on Instagram under @iritamarriottantiques, where over 12,000 folks follow her for tips, behind-the-scenes shots, and auction previews. On X (that’s Twitter to some) at @IritaMarriott, she’s got about 7,500 followers chatting about events. There’s even a YouTube reel of her TV highlights. It’s a great way for her to chat directly with fans, sharing stories and keeping the conversation going.
Some Cool Tidbits on Irita
- Her first day in the UK, someone called her “love,” and she thought it was rude – turns out it’s just friendly, and now she loves it.
- Back in Latvia at 19 or 20, she was into drag racing on sketchy runways, which explains her bold driving on TV.
- She popped up on Bargain Hunt as a seller before becoming the expert.
- Starting out, older dealers gave her grief for being young, but she flipped it into drive.
- Moved to the US knowing zilch English, surviving on dictionaries for months.
Wrapping It Up
Looking back, Irita’s gone from scraping by on a Latvian farm to owning her slice of the antiques world and lighting up TV. With more Road Trip and Bargain Hunt episodes on the horizon, maybe even growing her auction house or guiding newbies, she’s got plenty ahead. What she brings to antiques – making it accessible, championing women, and tying in those personal tales – really shakes things up and keeps the old stuff feeling alive.
