James Braxton has been a regular fixture on our screen for years. After making his debut on Bargain Hunt back in 2001, the antiques expert went on to appear on a number of BBC shows, including Flog it, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is and Antiques Road Trip.
But how much do you know about his life off-screen? Find out all you need to know, from his family life to his career away from antiques…
© BBC / STV StudiosJames's career
James has over 40 years of experience in the world of antiques.
After studying art and antiques at the Inchbald School of Design in London, James learned his trade as a porter at Gorringes Auction House in East Sussex. During his time there, he spent his evenings studying for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Fine Arts & Antiques and went on to win the 1991 Antiques Trade Gazette prize for the best final exam.
According to his website, James later bought Edgar Horns Auction House in Eastbourne and Bracketts Auction House in Tunbridge Wells. He went on to found the internet start-up, iBrax.com, which he later sold.
On what inspired his career in antiques, James told Wigtown Book Festival: "My grandfather was an estate agent, always buying stuff and my mother was very keen to visit art galleries, country houses, museums. Initially, I was taken kicking and screaming, but through osmosis it creeps in and suddenly you think 'Oh, I quite like this'. And that's how it happened."
© BBCJames's wife
James is reportedly married to a woman named Joanna, with whom he shares four grown-up children, Annie, Amelia, Ned and Charlie.
During his interview with Wigtown Book Festival, James revealed that he and his wife tied the knot in the 1980s before moving to Brighton.
© @jamesbraxtonofficial / InstagramJames family life
James owns a countryside pub, The Lamb Inn, in Wartling, East Sussex. His two sons, Ned and Charlie, look after the family business and have been working there since they were 19 and 21, respectively.
James' children often appear on his social media pages. Back in December 2019, the TV star shared a gorgeous family photo taken outside their pub, The Lamb Inn. "Christmas drinks," he wrote in the caption.
© @jameswbraxton / XJames's career away from TV
Fans may be surprised to learn that James is an author as well as an antiques expert. His first book, Barty - A Tale of a Stolen Bronze, which was published last year, is a story of friendship and follows a chef and an antiques dealer who team up to solve the theft of a garden bronze.
James was inspired to write the book after a statue was stolen from his family's garden. When asked how he came to write the novel, James told Wigtown Book Festival: "By accident really, we had a statue pinched from our garden.
"Our daughter, Amelia came down for the weekend after its retrieval and said that 'the story is so unbelievable you must write about it' and that was the push I needed," he added.
