Danny Sebastian has been in the antiques business for over two decades and regularly shares his expertise on the popular BBC show, Bargain Hunt. The self-taught antiques dealer began his TV career by featuring in a pilot version of the BBC's Del Boys and Dealers, which later became a four-part series.
Since then, Danny has become a regular face on Bargain Hunt and has also featured on celebrity versions of Pointless and Mastermind. But what does he get up to away from the cameras? Find out about his home life here…
Danny Sebastian's career in antiques
Danny's passion for antiques was inspired by his mum, who would take him to auction houses and jumble sales as a kid.
"She loved a bargain," Danny said of his mother. "We'd go to Wilford's and I'd be mesmerised by the grand arrangement of it all. She'd buy anything as long as it was cheap," he told the Lancashire Telegraph.
© BBC StudiosOn how he ended up in the business, Danny said it was "fate". "I was at an auction down south and stumbled across a room that was being prepared for a Mid-20th Century sale and all that I saw I just loved," he told the BBC, adding: "Straight away I thought 'I'm getting into this game; I'd love to sell this tackle'."
Danny's family tragedy and prison stint
When Danny was just 14 years old, his dad was tragically killed in a fire caused by a gas heater in his shed.
Danny took his father's passing "very hard" and ended up "on the wrong side of the law".
© @MrSebDaniel/X"I'd been a bit of a jack the lad before, always the joker, but I was bright. But I went completely off the rails," he told the Lancashire Telegraph. "I started being rude at school and I'd constantly disrupt classes. The teachers understood and felt sorry for me, but I really didn't want any sympathy. I was very very angry with the world and my dad wasn’t around to discipline me."
What started as stealing clothes he couldn't afford turned into robbery and violence which led to a four-year prison sentence.
© BBC StudiosOpening up about his experience in jail, Danny said: "There's always someone bigger and nastier than you and they were the roughest of the rough. You can never win in prison. I may have been a big fish in my pool, but in there I was a tiddler and I soon learned it wasn't the place for me."
Thankfully, Danny is "more of a lover than a fighter" now and encourages other young boys to avoid violence. "My advice to any young lad is 'no matter what the situation don't put yourself in that predicament'," he said.
Danny's home life
Danny is in a long-term relationship with his partner, Joanne, who sometimes features on the TV star's social media page.
The couple live in a vintage emporium home in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire with their three daughters.
© @MrSebDaniel/XDanny's hobbies away from the show
When he's not busy dishing out his top antiquing tips on Bargain Hunt, Danny spends his free time walking his dog Marvin and travelling.
© @MrSebDaniel/XHe told the BBC: "I honestly don't get a lot of free time. So much to do and so many places to be. I do enjoy dog walks, dining, dancing, music, travel and the occasional drop of rum!"
