He added: “My parents are still digging up boxes of old rubbish I found when I was a kid – I’d drag it all home. They even built another shed for me as I’d filled all the sheds in the garden with junk." Salvage Hunter Drew Pritchard this month announced that he was in the process of a "big move" after taking on a period property down in Bath. The TV star is well known in the area and had been living in a cottage in Conwy town, a property he will be keeping. The only person getting anything from this is the person who sells you the paint and if it makes you happy then FINE – but as I said stone cladding was in for a while wasn’t it?” He is, I am beginning to learn, characteristically, dismissive of those who aren’t experts in his field. When I ask about the fashion for brown furniture it is some minutes before he draws breath. We have been trained to buy new but don’t be afraid of buying old. Break the cycle by buying something with soul. There is a story attached to it and you can find someone to restore it and the love affair starts.”

They would return with oars, bicycles and car badges, which they'd sell by the side of a road. The resulting cash would be spent on sweets and magazines. I’ve had a blip in the middle where everything just got too much for me, which I’m over now and working on. I’ve started again from scratch. Rebuilding myself again.” It may be just as well. His remarkable success, and the televisual fame that has accompanied it, have inspired many people to try their hand at what he does. “I have a lot of imitators – and some of them are now doing Drew Pritchard better than me.” Staying honestYou’ve taken something that was worthless and made it worth even less. It’s an embarrassment to this country that we do this. Along with pebbledashing. Put your hand on it, say you love it, smile and say you will take it away that day and I guarantee you will get the best price possible.” Drew Pritchard for Barker and Stonehouse – Harling Snuggle Chair

So in the 18 th century you have people like Robert Adams and Chippendale championing it [neo-classical) and creating the finest furniture from the finest woods; we owned large parts of the world where these beautiful woods came from so we imported it.”Drew Pritchard is showing me around his antique dealer’s office on Zoom. “Brace yourself,” he says, flashing the camera over his shoulder to reveal the blanket-strewn boot of his Volvo estate. So I ask if, perhaps it was a “worthless” piece of furniture and it’s made someone happy to paint it so they can keep using it where’s the harm? He's known to millions of viewers around the world as the star of Salvage Hunters. And, for Drew Pritchard, digging out treasures has been with him since childhood. He hit the big time with Salvage Hunters which is shown on Quest and is watched by millions of people across the globe. Mr Pritchard had owned premises outside Glan Conwy for more than 20 years. In July North Wales Live reported that Drew's former antiques emporium was being converted in a restaurant by the chain Dylan's.

As well as Stoic philosophy, he’s currently reading about 18th-century cabinetry and garden design in the French court. Drew told Quest: “I was just utterly fascinated with it and it’s never left me. It’s not something I can explain why, I just had to be around this old stuff all the time." Craig has also been dropped from the hit shows by the production company - although remains on good terms with Drew. Apparently he's "too good" for TV, with him making light work of the challenges posed to the team. The shop was welcomed by local businesses - with Drew attracting Salvage Hunters fans to the area. He had initially looked at plans to expand due to its success but by May 2022 had decided it was time to close up.

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Drew said: "The next morning they had an open viewing and I was first through the door. The property had been five flats for 48 years and every inch was painted in white gloss, including the original cantilevered staircase. There's a lot in there you may have heard and a lot you won't have... some wrongs righted and some myths dispelled... Thanks for reading... and here's to the next one... NOW that's really something I want to share... Reading Pritchard’s book opened my eyes to how much work is needed to do well. Even when you’ve been in the business for decades. “That’s the reality. It’s flat out,” says Pritchard. You can be a dabbler. “But it’s like dabbling in brain surgery. Saying, ‘I do a bit of brain surgery at the weekend’ is fine, but you’re never going to be good at it.”

Whether you are a professional dealer or an amateur enthusiast, and whatever your budget, Drew's on a mission to show you how to enrich your life with beautiful things, that have their own unique story and that bring you joy. And then how to part with them for cash! At every car boot sale and junk shop, salvage yard or antique fair there is one gem; one thing that is remarkable that isn’t where it should be. It might have been lost in the hands of someone who didn’t understand it and it the right hands it is amazing but it isn’t junk.” However, number seven in his book, on the list of what you need to get set up in the trade, includes: “A very understanding husband, wife, partner or family.” Viewers of the show have been wondering where Pritchard’s good friend is since they last saw Tee during its 8th season. Many questions were raised by the fans since there is also no announcement regarding his leave: “Will Tee ever return to the show?”“Did Drew and Tee have an argument that resulted in his unexpected disappearance?” One is a property developer who buys incredible houses, fills them with antiques and then sells them as is. “She does it all around the world. It’s astonishing.”Over the years I've had some incredible finds, but the one that excites me the most is the next one.' Everyone sees everyone trying to get a bargain on the telly but don’t do that because the next time they won’t be there for you to try and get a cheap price off. Give them their money you will still be getting something of value. I was talking to a dealer friend the other day who said so far this year he has turned over a million quid but he said he hasn’t made any money at all because he just keeps buying more stuff. And that’s what I do. It’s a passion and it [the selling] allows us to keep hunting for more” He opened up about his childhood and how he found his passion for antiques. He said he and his friends would go and look in sheds in his home village in Glan Conwy, Wales.