REAL DEAL
Inside Bargain Hunt star Roo Irvine’s life off screen – from double family tragedy to real name
Why the much-loved Scottish presenter turned a hobby into a business.
BARGAIN Hunt's Roo Irvine rose to fame and became a household name after becoming an expert on the BBC show back in 2018.
The TV star has appeared on shows like Antiques Road Trip and Flipping Profit, but little is known about the star’s life outside the show.
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Before she began her TV career, Roo worked in the corporate world.
Here, we take a deep dive into the Bargain Hunt star's life off-camera.
CAREER AND REAL NAME
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BBC star Roo is well known for her vast knowledge of all things antique and bold dress sense.
But what people might not be aware of is that the much-loved Scottish presenter’s real name is actually Arusha.
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Throughout her career, she has also appeared on other antique shows, including Antiques Road Trip and Flipping Profit.
But her expertise and passion on Bargain Hunt has made her a fan-favourite over the years.
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LOVE LIFE
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Roo has been married to her husband, Mark Irvine, who is also an antiques dealer, since 2012.
The couple live together in Scotland with their two Maine Coon cats.
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They also own an antiques shop in Bute called Kilcreggan.
Previously, husband Mark has publicly shared that he is "lucky" to be married to the TV personality.
In his X( formerly Twitter) bio, he penned a sweet tribute to his wife, which reads: "Semi-retired (yeah right !) married to BBC TV Antique expert @RooIrvine - very lucky, blessed, and I know it."
"Poppa to 2 gorgeous Maine Coon girls."
DOUBLE FAMILY TRAGEDY
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In 2013, Roo was devastated when her father suddenly passed, and then, not long after, her father-in-law also sadly died.
The star opened up about her losses on her website, where she penned: "Kilcreggan Antiques came about quite by (bad) luck when suddenly, and unexpectedly, in 2013, my wonderful Dad passed away. I was heartbroken and devastated.
"Then, just three weeks later, my husband Mark also lost his father to a long battle with cancer.”
She added: "We walked away from our senior corporate jobs and focused on taking care of our widowed mothers.
"I'd always loved antiques and had developed a keen eye, so my husband suggested we 'go for it' and Kilcreggan Antiques was born. Out of some of my darkest days came a sliver of light. Fate?"
Roo also discussed the deaths on the Things I Forgot Were Good For Me podcast, where she admitted that she lived with her mum for six weeks until the couple could "find their feet again".
She explained: "We'd been with my mum for five, six months, and we thought, well, we still have to pay the bills, what do we do?
"We recently became addicted to auctions, and we furnished our big Victorian house from them, and we had so much surplus stuff.
"And my hubby said, 'Well listen, why don't we start selling some of these on eBay online?”
After the tragedy, Roo and her husband finally decided to start their small antiques business.
The business continued to grow, and in 2015, Antiques Road Trip bosses contacted the couple and asked if they could visit their shop.
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After the BBC visited the Kilcreggan, Roo was offered a role on the show, which she happily accepted.
Bargain Hunt airs on BBC One on weekdays at 12.15 pm.
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