Antiques Roadshow hosts now – Rear of The Year, tragic deaths and cancer battle

It’s not just BBC viewers who have been left astounded by the value of items throughout the years on Antiques Roadshow, but also the celebrity hosts.

Stars including Michael Aspel, Question Time’s Fiona Bruce and Watchdog’s Angela Rippon have all taken the helm of the famous valuation programme in the past four decades – but where are they now?

From hosting some of the UK’s most famous TV programmes to performing on Morecambe and Wise and winning Rear Of The Year, The Antiques Roadshow hosts have led very interesting lives.

READ MORE: Blankety Blank hosts now – tragic deaths, health battle and famous daughter

On the 44th anniversary of Antiques Roadshow’s first episode (February 18, 1979), Daily Star takes a look at where the hosts are now.

Bruce Parker

Bruce Parker was one of the Antiques Roadshow OGs, presenting the beloved BBC programme in 1979 alongside Angela Rippon and Arthur Negus.

He already had a long and successful career with the BBC before fronting the programme, after helping to launch a number of BBC local radio stations during the sixties.

He soon joined BBC South in Southampton, before presenting South Today for more than 35 years.

From there he became a familiar face on a number of programmes including Nationwide, Songs of Praise and as the voice of The Week’s Antiques on BBC Radio 4, to name a few.

Between 1992 and 2002, he was also BBC South’s political editor and, before retiring in 2003, he was a member of the House of Commons press gallery.

Since retiring he has written two books, and has became an ambassador for a number of charities and organisations including Leukaemia Busters and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

For his charitable work, he was awarded an MBE in 2017.

Away from the limelight, Bruce was married twice – first to wife Anne before their divorce in 1984, and then to wife Suzanne.

He also has three children called James, Sarah and Charlie.

Charlie followed in Bruce’s footsteps to become a cameraman for the BBC and filmed his father’s last broadcast in 2003.

However, Bruce suffered a devastating loss when son Charlie died in 2009 at the age of 34 years old.

Paying tribute to his son, Bruce told The Southern Daily Echo: “He was lovely, we adored him. He always had an impish smile and he lived life to the full.

“For me he was not just a son but a very good friend and I was very proud that after 40 years as a BBC man, he was working with the corporation and doing so well.”

Angela Rippon

Angela Rippon CBE hosted Antiques Roadshow in 1979 – but she was already a huge star long before she joined the programme.

She was a regular presenter on BBC’s Nine O’ Clock news from 1975, before presenting the first two series of Top Gear and hosting The Big Breakfast – becoming a TV icon in the process.

Angela also showed off her impressive physique and toned pins during a dance routine with comedy legends Morecambe and Wise.

More than 27m people tuned in to watch on Christmas Day 1976, with Angela telling The Daily Mail: “It was such fun to do the Morecambe And Wise Christmas Special,” and added: “Even though the two of them were huge stars, they made you feel like you were doing them a huge favour being on their programme.”

In the now famous sketch, Angela starts by reading the news, before viewers saw her take to the stage for the routine, which also featured a hilarious Eric Morecambe shouting “Pina!” loudly while making a Pina Colada drink.

She even re-enacted the routine on Strictly Come Dancing in 2011, much to the delight of viewers.

The 71-year-old star also revealed to The Mirror that she keeps fit by regularly exercising and even after all this time, can still do the splits.

Over 56 years since she first joined the BBC in 1966 as part of BBC South West, Angela continues to host BBC programme Rip Off Britain with Gloria Hunniford and Julia Somerville.

Away from our screens, Angela was married to engineer Christopher Dare from 1967 to 1989.

Arthur Negus

Arthur Negus continued to host Antiques Roadshow after Bruce Parker and Angela Rippon departed the programme, remaining on the series between 1979 to 1983.

He first launched to fame on the TV series Going For A Song, where he was regularly seen appraising antiques.

Arthur also appeared on programmes including The Generation Game and Arthur Negus Enjoys, as well as starring in a number of sketches for Monty Pythons Election Night Special in 1970.

It is no surprise then that with such a stellar career, he was made an OBE in 1982.

Away from our screens, Arthur was married to wife Irene Hollett with who he had a daughter called Ann.

However the star died on April 5, 1985 at the age of 82 years old.

Hugh Scully

Hugh Scully fronted a number of famous BBC programmes throughout the years, including Watchdog and Antiques Roadshow.

After working for a piano company, he later began working as a freelance journalist for the BBC in 1963 and hosted a number of radio broadcasts.

While working at the BBC, a producer discovered his love for antiques, with the star later going on to become the first (and longest serving) host of Antiques Roadshow from 1981 to 2000.

He was the first host of Watchdog between 1980 to 1984, and appeared on programmes such as Nationwide.

Away from the limelight, he was married to his wife Barbara Dean for over 43 years from 1966, with whom he had two children, before her death in 2009.

Six years later, Huge Scully died at his home in Cornwall on October 8, 2015 at the age of 72 years old.

Paying tribute to him following his death, his Nationwide co-presenter Sue Lawley told the BBC that he was “a great talent”, who was “fun loving.”

Henry Sandon, who worked with Scully on Antiques Roadshow, said he had had an “immense ability to drink wine” and was “always happy, jolly and wonderful”.

He added: “I shall never forget the chap, he was ever so marvellous.”

Michael Aspel

Broadcasting legend Michael Aspel presented Antiques Roadshow between 2000 and 2007, after a stellar career that spanned both TV and radio.

After launching his journalism career with BBC Radio Cardiff, he presented a number of TV programmes including Come Dancing, Crackerjack, Ask Aspel, Miss World and even provided the commentary for The Eurovision Song Contest in 1969 and 1976.

Like Antiques Roadshow predecessor Angela Rippon, Michael showed off his theatrical talents by performing on The Morecambe and Wise show, where he and fellow news presenters were dressed as sailors singing There Ain’t Nothing Like A Dame.

Along with hosting talk show Aspel and Company, This Is Your Life, Strange But True, Blockbusters and playing the role of the narrator in The Rocky Horror Show, it is no surprise that he was awarded an OBE for his services to broadcasting in 1993.

In his personal life, Michael has seven children and has been married three times – first to Dian Sessions from 1957 to 1961 and then to Ann Reed from 1962 to 1967.

He later married EastEnders Christine Hewitt actress Elizabeth Power in 1977 before they separated in 1994.

Michael has been in a relationship with This is Your Life producer Irene Clarke since 1994, and he has seven children.

The star has spoken openly about being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2004, which he continues to live with.

He told the BBC at the time: “Thankfully it’s low-grade cancer. The strange thing about it is you don’t feel unwell.

“Without that check-up I may not have found out about it at all because there are no symptoms,” he added.

Michael continued: “Although the condition hasn’t gone, my doctor tells me my life isn’t threatened by it. It just ticks away and needs monitoring.

“I have regular check-ups and I’m in a very positive frame of mind about the situation.”

Fiona Bruce

Fiona Bruce has hosted Antiques Roadshow since 2008, after beginning her career as an assistant producer on TV series Panorama.

From there she became a journalist for BBC South East, before presenting BBC Breakfast News and the BBC Six O’Clock news during the nineties.

Along with Antiques Roadshow, Fiona has presented a number of TV series including Crimewatch, The Money Programme, Fake or Fortune, The Queen’s Palaces and performed All That Jazz on Children In Need.

In 2010 she was presented with Rear Of The Year alongside Hollyoaks actor Ricky Whittle, with Fiona saying during her acceptance speech: “This award has caused some hilarity among family, friends, and colleagues, as you might imagine.

“What I tell them, when they’ve picked themselves up off the floor, is that if someone had told me I’d been nominated for this 20 years ago, I’d have poked them in the eye. Now I’m just flattered anyone’s still looking.”

She currently hosts BBC political programme Question Time, describing it to The Radio Times as “the most challenging job I’ve ever done”, according to Daily Express.

Fiona is not the only big name in her family either, as her husband is Nigel Sharrocks – the non-executive chairman of Digital Cinema Media, whose clients include Odeon and Vue.

The couple met while they were both working at BMP and later married in 1994, before welcoming their son Sam and daughter Mia.

For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.

READ MORE:

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk