Irita was born in Latvia in 1984, living on a country farm that was fully self-sufficient with her numerous siblings. They lived on a farm and only ate what they could forage, grow, kill or catch.

When her mother and father divorced, they moved and she remembers being very poor, walking the riverbanks to see whether anybody had left food next to the fire pits where they had had barbecues. Irita and her family did whatever it took to survive and she recalls how her childhood wasn’t rosy but it was good and made her who she is today.

At school, she was told by a teacher, “You will be a no one! You won’t make it in life without English”.  This prompted her to apply for an au pair job in the US and she then set off for New York with barely any English language knowledge at all.  After three months of being thrown in at the deep end, she could speak and understand English. 

After two years, she visited Latvia to see family with the intention of returning to the US.  However,  life had other plans and she ended up on a bus to the UK.  She was just 20 years old and her life and career in England started as a temporary worker in a garden centre.

Irita Marriot | Antiques Career

Irita impressed at the garden centre and she progressed to be manager of the Christmas department and a buyer. After seven years spent working as a retail manager, her passion for decorative antiques and collectables led her to start working as a dealer in 2012.

It wasn’t always easy, though, and she recalls how she would get up at 3am to travel all over the country and abroad to source and sell items at antique fairs, doing this while caring for her two young sons.  

This experience broadened her knowledge of antiques and the industry, leading her to become an expert in the field, as well as building a loyal clientele worldwide as a result of her ability to source high-quality objects.

Such was Irita’s skill for sourcing exceptional objects she built up a loyal clientèle all over the world. The businesswoman, who is completely self taught, also worked as an antiques valuer at a renowned Midlands auction house for seven years.

(Seen above with Great British Speakers Philip Serrell)

This broadened her knowledge in specialist areas. As well as handling and assessing a multitude of fascinating objects, she learned how an auction saleroom operated.

She has noted that it was a steep learning curve but when you love what you do learning is easy. With drive and determination to work hard to gain more knowledge, she recognised the public’s passion for antiques had sparked several TV shows. She wanted to be part of that, to be known for what she does and loves.

Irita Marriot on TV

Rather than being head-hunted for the work in TV, Irita sent a ‘cheeky’ message to BBC’s Antiques Road Trip to offer her services, which was successful with her being given a position on the show. She made her debut in 2021 and became a regular expert on the programme, participating in various series alongside other antiques experts.

She also appeared on Celebrity Antiques Road Trip (Seen above with Great British Speakers David Harper) and Channel 4’s The Greatest Auction before moving over to Bargain Hunt.

Irita Marriot Auction House

In 2023, Irita became one of only a handful of women in the UK to launch their own auction house.

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book antique expert and dealer, and TV personality Irita Marriot for your next live event or corporate video.Contact us.