A STAR from Bargain Hunt has announced her 'trail-blazing' new career in a male dominated industry, saying that she's still struggling to believe it's real.
Irita Marriott, 39, only recently joined Bargain Hunt as a presenter after transferring from rival show Antiques Road Trip.
Now she is already set to take on a new role - this time as the auctioneer instead of someone competing to make a profit.
The antiques expert is opening her own auction house, Irita Marriott Auctioneers, in Derbyshire on Saturday.
Irita is over the moon about her new job, especially since most salerooms are run by men.
She shared that she has had to work hard since she immigrated to the UK from Latvia to achieve this dream.
The show host said: "Opening my own auction house is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and now the time is right. I have the knowledge, experience and expertise, plus numerous contacts in the industry who are keen to collaborate with me.
"I am proud to be able to do this. I arrived in England from my home country of Latvia at the age of 20 to build a new life. I had no idea where my journey would take me. I’m thrilled it’s led me into a profession I love.
"The auction business has been male dominated for a very long time with only a handful of women running salerooms.
"I am looking forward to adding to their ranks and helping to blaze a trail for women. I plan to build on my previous business success and offer the general public the best possible service."
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It's been a hard slog for Irita to make it onto the reality shows, as the mum-of-two had to gain expertise by sourcing antiques all over the country while looking after her sons.
She told the Derbyshire Times that she often had to wake up at 3am to make it to antique fairs, took took her kids on the road with her from the time they were born.
But it's all paid off now she has her dream job.
The presenter added: "When I wake up in the the morning I sometimes have to pinch myself because I feel so lucky to have a job I love. It’s brought me so many opportunities."
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