Irita Marriott turned up on Antiques Road Trip in 2021 with flaming red hair and this way of making you actually care about Victorian teapots. Within months, everyone was asking, “Who’s that woman who’s always smiling?”
Her backstory, though? That’s the interesting bit.
Growing Up Proper Tough in Latvia
Irita Marriott’s date of birth is March 1984, making her 41 now. Born in Latvia on a self-sufficient farm with loads of siblings. They ate what they could grow or catch. No nipping to Tesco when the cupboard was bare.
Parents divorced, family moved to Valmiera. Things got harder. They’d walk riverbanks after people had barbecues, looking for leftover food. Went fishing in the morning just to have breakfast. Brutal childhood, really.
Her English teacher at school told her straight: “You’ll be a nobody. You won’t make it without English.” Instead of accepting that, Irita applied for an au pair job in New York with barely any English, just a dictionary.
Three months later, she could speak fluently. Spent two years in America before trying to return and getting refused entry. Walking down a Latvian street, she saw a picture of Big Ben and thought, “Right, London then.”
Irita Marriott’s age was just 20 when she rocked up in the UK in 2004 with no plan. Met five Latvian blokes on a bus who had contacts but no English. She had English but no contacts. They ended up in Bradford together.
Seven Years Flogging Plants
The first job was temporary Christmas work at a garden centre. Worked her way up to running the department and became a buyer. Spent seven years there learning retail, spotting what people actually want to buy.
Not glamorous. But that buying experience came in handy later when she started dealing in antiques.
Marriage Led Her to Derbyshire
Irita is married, though Irita Marriott husband’s details are not available at all. Nobody knows his name, what he does, or anything. They’ve got two sons together, now around 12 and 14. She talks about them loads and says they join her at antique fairs sometimes.
Living in Derbyshire, she wanted to understand antiques properly. Took a part-time job at an auction house as a salesroom assistant. Stayed seven years, working up to cataloguer and valuer whilst dealing with antiques independently.
Started at car boot sales and little fairs. Gradually expanded into international markets, built contacts, and learnt what sells.
Launched Her Own Business
By 2020, Irita had enough experience, and she launched Irita Marriott Antiques. Specialised in decorative pieces, often sourced from European buying trips. Built a reputation for finding stuff that works in modern homes, not just stuffy period properties.
She calls herself a “new generation dealer”—someone who gets social media, understands younger collectors, and doesn’t just focus on traditional antiques.
Business was going well. Then the BBC called in 2021. She appeared on Antiques Road Trip with Timothy Medhurst. The show debuted in May 2021; audiences adored her from the start.
That warmth, the excitement, and the way she taught us things without talking down to us; it all worked. And she’s since turned up on Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, Bargain Hunt, and Channel 4’s The Greatest Auction. More recently, she has been presenting The Derbyshire Auction House on Really TV, aiding families to find treasures lying dormant.
Opening Her Own Auction House
In September 2023, Irita opened her own auction house in Melbourne, Derbyshire. Irita Marriott Auctions was launched, making her one of the very few women running auction houses in the UK.
She registered Irita Marriott Auctioneers and Valuers Ltd in June 2023 and timed the opening to coincide with the Melbourne Arts Festival. Small village, historical, thriving, creative community, which is a perfect location.
Why an auction house when dealing was going well? Irita explained, “I am my business. If I stop, there’s no business. Nothing to show for it, nothing to pass on. By opening an auction house, I’d build something my boys could carry on.”
She wanted a legacy. Something beyond her own expertise. Plus, the auction business has been male-dominated forever. Only a handful of women run salerooms. Irita wanted to prove women could succeed there, too.
Her auction house focuses on expert valuation and transparency. Regular auctions, private valuations. Business has grown quickly, helped by the TV profile bringing consignments and buyers.
The Telly Work Keeps Coming
Since that first Antiques Road Trip appearance, Irita’s become a regular on multiple BBC shows. She doesn’t just talk about antiques; rather, she tells the stories behind them. That ability to connect with audiences and make history feel relevant sets her apart.
The Derbyshire Auction House follows her visiting homes, evaluating items, and taking them to auction. Simple format but powerful—ordinary people discovering their stuff might be worth something.
One of her best finds? A kitchen spoon that sold for £3,300 to a California collector. That’s antiques, as you never know what’s valuable until an expert spots it.
Irita Marriott’s Net Worth Sits Around £500k-£1.5 Million
Irita Marriott’s net worth estimates range between £500,000 and £1.5 million. Not bad for someone who arrived in the UK at 20 with nothing.
Income comes from multiple sources: dealing in business, auction houses, TV appearances, and speaking engagements. She’s built a proper empire whilst raising two kids and keeping her personal life private.
She’s not flashy about money. Still lives in Derbyshire, focusing on work and family, and avoids celebrity lifestyle nonsense. That groundedness probably stems from her difficult childhood—she knows what it’s like to have nothing.
The Teacher Who Got It Wrong
What makes Irita Marriott likable is that she never forgot where she came from. She talks openly about growing up poor, struggling with English, and arriving in the UK with no plan. She’s not ashamed of her backstory.
That English teacher who said she’d be a nobody? Spectacularly wrong. Irita’s now a successful businesswoman, TV personality, respected expert, and inspiration to loads of people building something from nothing.
She’s refreshingly honest about the industry, too. She has spoken about misogyny in antiques, how male-dominated it is, and the challenges women face. But instead of just complaining, she’s doing something, such as opening her own auction house, creating opportunities, and showing it’s possible.
What’s Coming
At 41, Irita’s in her prime. The TV career is going strong, the auction house is thriving, and the sons are developing an interest in antiques. She’s mentioned wanting to do more television, loves working in front of cameras, and aims to encourage others to try dealing.
Her ambition hasn’t dimmed. Success has made her hungrier—she wants to keep growing, keep building, and keep proving what’s possible.
The journey from Latvian farm to British TV star and auction house owner is remarkable. Most people with her difficult start wouldn’t have made it. But Irita had resilience, work ethic, charm, and ambition that made success almost inevitable.
Bottom Line
Irita Marriott is more than just that Antiques Road Trip redhead. She’s a self-made success – she came to the UK at 20 without a pot to piss in and has now made herself successful through hard work.
From garden centre worker to antiques expert, from struggling immigrant to TV personality, she’s proven that your start in life doesn’t have any bearing on where you finish. That difficult childhood in Latvia? Those years foraging the riverbanks for food? They didn’t break her. Made her stronger.
Whether uncovering bargains on telly, auctioneering in Derbyshire or tracking down antiques all over Europe, she brings charm and cheer. That’s what people like to watch her for. She’s genuine, knowledgeable, and relatable.
Given her ambition and drive, who’s to say what she’ll build next? But it’s whatever it is, and she’ll do it with the charm and determination that have brought her this far.