Bargain Hunt's beloved figure, Irita Marriott, has admitted there were plenty of tears during the filming of her new series, The Derbyshire Auction House, set to premiere tonight.
Irita, a familiar face on both Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip, is venturing solo to assist people in turning their cherished items into cash.
The 10-episode series will showcase Irita delving into people's homes to unearth items that will subsequently be auctioned off.
In an exclusive interview, Irita shared insights about her new role and her experience filming alone. She admitted there were numerous emotional moments as some guests were reluctant to part with their possessions.
"To be fair it was all a bit quick," the expert revealed when discussing how she secured the role, reports Plymouth Live.
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"I started my auction house in September last year when we opened the doors and our first auction wasn't actually until January. We had only had one auction before we started the show.
"They always say, 'Everything happens for a reason and when the time is right, it happens' and it really did feel like that."
Shifting the focus to the guests who graced the show, Irita mentioned they were swamped with individuals eager to feature on the programme.
"The people were so good," she enthused. "Sharing their stories, their emotional life experiences, and letting me rummage through to find treasures and sell them all for them because it is not always an easy thing to do.
"We have had plenty of applications and there are 20 stories altogether that we filmed. It has been incredible, it really has."
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In the premiere episode, the Antiques Road Trip celebrity assisted a mother and daughter grappling with the loss of their husband and father just a year prior, in selling some of his possessions, including his cherished car.
Irita recalled: "I lost my dad years ago and I could really feel for her and I really wanted to get that money for her and we got there.
"We are complete strangers to these people and they let us in their houses, shared their life with us and I have to say, I am one of those people that really pays attention and really listens and I feel for them.
She added: "We have had a fair amount of tears and it is understandable, people are saying goodbye to family-owned heirlooms and now they might need to part with them because they are downsizing or because they can't do collecting anymore for health reasons. Everyone has their own story."
The Derbyshire Auction House airs on Mondays at 9pm on the Really channel
