Roo Irvine (full name Arusha Irvine) is a Scottish antiques dealer, BBC presenter, writer and radio broadcaster. She is best known for Antiques Road Trip and Bargain Hunt, and she still runs Kilcreggan Antiques in Argyll and Bute. She is 46 years old as of November 2026.Her story is not a typical TV success story. She did not train as a presenter. She left a senior marketing job after two family bereavements, opened a small antiques shop in a Scottish village and was spotted by a BBC production team a couple of years later.
This guide covers her age, career, husband, charity work and latest news. It also corrects some of the confusing details that circulate online, such as her birth year and her supposed net worth.
Roo Irvine Quick Facts
| Detail | Fact |
| Full name | Arusha Irvine |
| Known as | Roo Irvine |
| Born | January 1980 (public company records) |
| Age in November 2026 | 46 |
| Nationality | British, based in Scotland |
| Home | Argyll and Bute, Scotland |
| Professions | Antiques dealer, TV presenter, auctioneer, writer, radio presenter |
| Previous career | Senior corporate marketing |
| Career turning point | 2013, after the deaths of her father and her father-in-law |
| Business | Kilcreggan Antiques, Shore Road, Kilcreggan |
| Specialist subject | Georgian glass |
| Spotted by BBC | Early 2015, when Antiques Road Trip visited her shop |
| First episodes as an expert | 2017 on Antiques Road Trip |
| Flipping Profit | 2018, a Children in Need antiques series |
| Bargain Hunt as an expert | From January 2019 |
| Bargain Hunt as a presenter | One of the rota presenters since June 2022 |
| Other TV | Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, Celebrity Mastermind, Pointless Celebrities, Richard Osman’s House of Games, The Weakest Link |
| Radio | Roo’s Rhythms on Lomond Radio, from 2024 |
| Writing | Monthly antiques column in The Lochside Press, from April 2025 |
| Husband | Mark Irvine, an independent councillor on Argyll and Bute Council |
| Married | 2012 |
| Pets | Three cats: Mango Chutney, Kimchi Cherry Blossom and Miso Dexter |
| Charities | Blue Cross and Cats Protection ambassador |
| Management | Limelight Celebrity Management (signed 2020) |
| Parents | Names not made public; her father died in 2013 |
| Siblings | No confirmed public information |
| Net worth | No reliable figure published |
Roo Irvine’s Early Professional Life
Roo has shared plenty about her working life but very little about her childhood. Public details about where she grew up, her school years and her family background are scarce. That privacy is a choice, and it is worth respecting.
What is clear is the shape of her early career. She spent years in a demanding office environment before antiques became her full time work.
A Career in Corporate Marketing
Before antiques, Roo worked in marketing, and so did her husband Mark. Both held senior corporate roles. She has described herself as someone who always loved old objects and slowly built a keen eye for them, even while the day job was something else.
Those years were not wasted. Marketing taught her how to talk to customers, tell a story about a product and read what buyers want. Those same skills now help her on camera and in the shop.
Family Loss and a New Direction
In 2013, Roo’s father died suddenly. About three weeks later, Mark’s father died after a long illness with cancer. Within a short time, both of them had lost a parent.
The couple stepped away from their corporate jobs to care for their widowed mothers. During that period, Mark encouraged Roo to turn her long held passion into a business. Roo has described the shop as something that came from her darkest days, and she has spoken of it as a small sliver of light.
Roo Irvine and Kilcreggan Antiques
Kilcreggan Antiques is a family run shop in the village of Kilcreggan on the Rosneath Peninsula in Argyll and Bute. It also sells online. In June 2020, local news reported that the shop was set to double in size.
Building an Independent Antiques Business
The stock is varied. Buyers can expect glass, jewellery, silver, ceramics, art and general vintage pieces. Roo has said she is drawn to objects with history, and especially to the human story behind them: who owned a piece, who used it and why it survived.
Running a shop while filming for the BBC is a juggling act. Opening days can shift around filming schedules, so checking the shop’s own channels before visiting is sensible.
For readers interested in her approach to value, she has written that she weighs five things: age, rarity, desirability, material and the story. That last one is the part she says makes antiques romantic.
A Specialist in Georgian Glass
Georgian glass is Roo’s true favourite. She has called it the love of her antiquing life in her own column, and she argues that glass is one of the most undervalued areas of the trade. Her point is simple. You can sometimes pick up a 300 year old glass for very little money, yet a good example can be worth hundreds of pounds.
She admires the work of the Beilby family of Newcastle, known for enamel decorated glass in the eighteenth century. She also collects art glass and jewellery, including mourning jewellery.
How Roo Irvine Entered Television
Her route to television was unusual. There was no audition tape and no talent show. The cameras simply came to her shop.
Discovery Through Antiques Road Trip
The BBC’s Antiques Road Trip visited Kilcreggan Antiques in early 2015. Producers liked what they saw and invited her to join the team of experts.
The invitation was only the start. By her own account, she spent about twelve months in meetings, shadowing, screen tests and study before being told she was in. Her first episodes as an expert aired in 2017.
Roo Irvine on Antiques Road Trip
Antiques Road Trip sends two experts around the UK in a classic car. Each has a small budget to buy antiques, and the items are then sold at auction. The expert with the better profit wins.
Roo has travelled with a long list of fellow experts, including:
- Philip Serrell
- James Braxton
- Angus Ashworth
- David Harper
- Mark Hill
- Steven Moore
Her bright outfits, quick humour and love of Georgian glass have made her a favourite with viewers. She also appeared on Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, where she guided famous guests through the same buying and selling challenge.
Roo Irvine on Bargain Hunt
Bargain Hunt is one of the longest running daytime shows on British television. Two teams get a fixed budget and one hour to buy antiques. Experts advise them, then the items go under the hammer.
From Expert to Main Presenter
Roo’s first Bargain Hunt episodes as an expert aired in January 2019. In June 2022, she moved into a new role as one of the show’s rota of presenters.
The change mattered. A presenter keeps the episode moving, chats with contestants and links the shopping to a local history feature. Roo also fronts the segments where she visits museums, collectors and historic sites near the filming location.
In 2026, for example, a Bargain Hunt episode reportedly saw her explore the Herefordshire Hoard, a Viking period collection of coins and jewellery, with an archaeology curator.
Other Television Programmes
Her screen career goes beyond antiques shows. Her credits include:
- Flipping Profit (2018): a Children in Need antiques series that she presented.
- Celebrity Mastermind (2022): where she chose cat breeds as her specialist subject.
- Pointless Celebrities (2022): a team appearance on the BBC quiz.
- Richard Osman’s House of Games (2022): a week of mini games against other guests.
- The Weakest Link (recorded 2024, aired 2025): her turn in the quiz hot seat.
Writing, Podcasting and Radio
Roo is now more than a face on screen. She is also a writer, interviewer and broadcaster.
- #RadioRoo: during the Covid lockdowns, she started video and podcast content under this name. It gave her space to talk about topics far beyond auctions.
- Newspaper column: since April 2025, she has written a monthly antiques feature for The Lochside Press. Topics have included the magic of antiques, Georgian glass, how antiques are valued, art forgeries and green shopping.
- Lomond Radio: in 2024 she began presenting Roo’s Rhythms, a monthly show about music, memory and emotion.
- Events and auctions: she hosts events and works as a charity auctioneer.
In April 2026, she also chaired the More for Scotland’s Animals hustings in Edinburgh, a political question and answer event ahead of the Scottish Parliament election. Fifteen animal protection groups organised it. The role showed how far her public profile has grown beyond antiques.
Roo Irvine’s Husband and Home Life
Roo has been married to Mark Irvine since 2012. Mark is an independent member of Argyll and Bute Council. In 2024, he was reported to have become chair of the Helensburgh and Lomond area committee.
The couple have worked together in antiques since leaving their corporate jobs. Roo keeps her marriage fairly private, but she has posted loving anniversary messages on social media.
At home in Argyll and Bute, she lives with three cats: Mango Chutney, Kimchi Cherry Blossom and Miso Dexter. She has said her simplest pleasures are jazz, a good book and a log fire. Friends and fans also know her as a keen cook, with curry as a speciality.
Charity Work and Animal Welfare
Animals are the cause closest to her heart. Roo is an ambassador for Blue Cross and Cats Protection.
Her best known fundraising idea involves a hula hoop:
- July 2020: she completed a six hour online “Hoopathon” during lockdown and raised more than £1,600 for Blue Cross.
- April 2022: she hula hooped for ten hours at the Creggans Inn in Kilcreggan. The event raised about £4,400 for animal charities helping pets affected by the war in Ukraine.
She has also visited a Blue Cross rehoming centre while filming and has donated quiz show winnings to the charity.
Roo Irvine’s Career Income
There is no verified figure for her net worth. Some low quality websites claim she is worth between $1 million and $5 million, but they give no evidence. Treat those numbers as guesses.
What can be said with confidence is where her income comes from:
- Television fees from Bargain Hunt, Antiques Road Trip and guest appearances
- Sales from Kilcreggan Antiques
- Auctioneering and charity auction work
- Writing and column work
- Radio, hosting and speaking engagements
Her real business foundation is the shop, which TV exposure has helped to grow.
Latest Roo Irvine News
Here are the most recent public updates found in November 2026:
- October 2026: her monthly Lochside Press column looked at autumn traditions and haunted antiques.
- June 2026: she appeared on a Bargain Hunt episode featuring the Herefordshire Hoard.
- April 2026: she chaired the animal welfare hustings in Edinburgh.
- Ongoing: she remains listed as a Bargain Hunt presenter and continues to run Kilcreggan Antiques.
For up to date broadcast dates, check the BBC programme pages.
Roo Irvine’s Legacy
Roo has helped make antiques feel friendly. She explains value, but she also talks about memory, craft and the people who owned an object before. That approach appeals to younger viewers who might never have stepped into an antiques shop.
Her career also supports small, independent dealers. She never closed the shop that started it all. Instead, TV fame sits alongside it.
Finally, her story is a quiet example of rebuilding after loss. A painful year led to a new life, and she has been open about that without making it the only thing she is known for.
Conclusion
Roo Irvine went from corporate marketing to running a Scottish antiques shop, and then to the BBC. She is now a familiar presenter on Bargain Hunt and a long time favourite of Antiques Road Trip fans.
Georgian glass, colourful clothes, radio, writing and animal charity work all add to a career that is rooted in curiosity and kindness. If you want to see her in action, watch Bargain Hunt on BBC One or visit Kilcreggan Antiques when you are in Argyll and Bute.
FAQs
Who is Roo Irvine?
Roo Irvine, whose full name is Arusha Irvine, is a Scottish antiques dealer and BBC presenter known for Antiques Road Trip and Bargain Hunt. She owns Kilcreggan Antiques in Argyll and Bute.
How old is Roo Irvine?
Roo Irvine was born in January 1980, which makes her 46 as of November 2026. Some unreliable sites list other birth years, so rely on official records.
Who are Roo Irvine’s parents?
She has not shared her parents’ names or jobs publicly. Her father died unexpectedly in 2013, which led her to leave her marketing career.
Is Roo Irvine married?
Yes. She has been married to Mark Irvine, an independent Argyll and Bute councillor, since 2012.
Does Roo Irvine have any siblings?
She has not publicly confirmed whether she has brothers or sisters. She keeps her wider family life private.
