Antiques Roadshow couple 'storm off set' as they're left furious over true value of item
After nearly two decades hosting Antiques Roadshow, host Fiona Bruce has lifted the lid on some of the most awkward appraisals she's seen on the show.
Antiques Roadshow host Fiona Bruce has revealed the moment a couple “stormed off” and “dumped” their family heirloom after a nightmare appraisal. The veteran broadcaster, 60, has been at the helm of the BBC series since 2008 when she took over from Michael Aspel.
Over the course of nearly two decades, the mum-of-two has seen her fair share of staggering valuations and priceless antiques. But not everyone walks away with a hidden fortune, as she revealed during an appearance on Stephen Mulhern’s ITV gameshow Celebrity Catchphrase. The TV presenter revealed the awkward moment a disgruntled couple ditched their valuables after learning its true value.
Stephen began: “We know you as a presenter and as a very serious newsreader. We know you from Antiques Roadshow as well, or course. Have you ever seen anybody really cheesed off when they bring their item in and they get told it’s worth absolutely nothing? Because I love that bit!”
Fiona giggled and replied: “Everyone tells me they love that bit. And yes, I mean, many times! Some people came along once, a couple, and they had an enormous painting.
“They lugged it along, and it took them ages. Eventually, the specialist saw it and said £30 maybe, and they were so cross they dumped it against a hedge and stormed off!”
It comes after an American couple found themselves in hot water after they were arrested by the French authorities over trafficking a "national treasure belonging to France" after an episode of Antiques Roadshow.
Phillip and Gay Courter found themselves in the messy affair when a French couple they had become close friends with, Gerard and Annette Petsy, asked them to hold onto a briefcase of gold bars while he was in France because he was looking for an American buyer.
The Courters held onto them for 15 years before attempting to flog them on eBay. Even though they consulted with customs, they filed the bars with the IRS after putting them in a safety deposit box. It turns out the bars actually belonged to Prince de Conty and suddenly went missing after his ship crashed in Brittany.
Archaeologist Michel L’Hour stumbled across a listing for the gold bars online. The description read: “Nearly identical to the bars from the wrecks of the French East India Company vessel Prince de Conty, and to the Dutch East-Indiaman Geldermalsen.”
The listing also included a link to an episode of Antiques Roadshow. A French woman, eventually revealed to be Anette Petsy, showcased the bars on the BB show. The bombshell discovery lead him and the French authorities directly to the Courters which soon sent them to jail. A trial has been set for later this year.
