James Lewis, 53, has become known for his on-screen antiques expertise on the BBC game show Bargain Hunt. But off-screen, the star had a major change in his personal life last year following his split from his wife. In September, the auctioneer quietly married a man named Ed Otter, who works at his auction house – and his teen daughter played an important role in making the special day happen.
James first met his now-husband Ed, who is 18 years younger than him, in a pub in Derbyshire. “Was it love at first sight? Pretty much, yeah,” James revealed to The Mirror in a new interview. He was previously married to his ex-wife Annabel, with whom he shares a daughter named Arabella.
“I had split up from my wife, my daughter’s mum. And I was just ready,” he said about meeting Ed 15 years ago while playing a game of pool. James gushed that his now-husband is “such a kind soul” and he feels “very lucky”.
“Working with Ed is a lot easier than working with Annabelle,” he later compared working with his ex-wife to working with his new husband at the auction house. Ed is the resident Toys, Trains and Juvenalia Specialist for the auctioneer.
James’ daughter was part of his big day
James daughter Arabella, 17, is on board with her dad’s new relationship. The antiques expert revealed that his daughter, who was at his wedding at the end of last year, gets along “so well” with Ed and even calls him “dad”.
While the newlyweds had initially considered eloping to the US, James decided his daughter had to be present for the milestone moment. “Arabella says, which one of you is going to walk me up the aisle when I get married? She said, can we have a wide aisle, and can you both walk me up? So we couldn’t do it without Arabella,” he explained the importance of his daughter being there alongside 50 guests for the small ceremony.
James’s TV journey
With a degree in fine art and auctioneering under his belt and a family-run business called Bamfords Auctioneers and Valuers, James got into the world of TV in the early noughties when he joined the BBC series, Flog It! in 2002.
From there, he’s gone on to star in other popular small-screen productions, including Bargain Hunt, which celebrated its milestone 25th anniversary last year and is still continuing to air new episodes, and Antiques Road Trip. Alongside his TV credentials, James has previously won the UK Auctioneer of the Year award for his industry expertise.
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