Hugely standard Bargain Hunt star James Lewis opens up about tying the knot with Ed Otter in an intimate ceremony after likelihood assembly within the native pub
Our joy: James Lewis and Ed Otter(Image: PA)
Bargain Hunt skilled James Lewis has revealed he’s married a person 18 years his junior after splitting from his wife. The TV antiques auctioneer, 53, wed Ed Otter final September in an intimate ceremony with simply 50 visitors, together with his 17-year-old daughter from his first marriage.
Speaking on the Born Free Foundation’s Footsteps to Freedom Ball in London, BBC star James opened up about discovering love once more after his marriage to Annabelle ended.
“I met my husband 15 years ago playing pool, of all things, in the local pub in Derbyshire,” he mentioned. “Was it love at first sight? Pretty much, yeah. I had split up from my wife, my daughter’s mum. And I was just ready.”
The BBC star, who’s an skilled on Bargain Hunt – and previously Flog It! till the present led to 2020 – revealed the couple virtually eloped to America earlier than deciding to incorporate his daughter Arabella within the massive day.
“We were going to run away, we were going to get married in the mountains in Yellowstone National Park, and then we thought, oh no, we’ve got to invite parents and my daughter,” he defined. “Arabella says, which one of you is going to walk me up the aisle when I get married? She said, can we have a wide aisle, and can you both walk me up? So we couldn’t do it without Arabella.”
James confirmed his daughter calls each him and Ed “Dad”, including: “He and Arabella get on so well. I’m very lucky.” However, the marriage got here simply days after a terrifying well being scare. James, who has survived two cardiac arrests, revealed his coronary heart price soared to over 250 beats per minute on his marriage ceremony day. A traditional resting coronary heart price for adults is usually 60-100 beats per minute.
“I’ve had two cardiac arrests. I had one in 2013 and I had another one in 2019,” he mentioned. “Last year, I had two instances when they said, your heart rate went up to over 250 beats per minute. That was very close to a cardiac arrest. And they said, what were you doing on May 8 and September 11? 1September 11 I was getting married.”
His heart specialist warned him to keep away from high-stress conditions, however James admitted: “My cardiologist said, you should probably not do those sorts of things. I said, well, I’m not intending to get married again, but there will be more charity auctions.”
The TV star, who based Bamfords Auctioneers together with his mother and father in 2002 after being made redundant, praised his new husband’s easy-going nature. Ed works as the Toys, Trains and Juvenalia Specialist at his public sale home, the place is wife Arabella additionally used to work.
“Working with Ed is a lot easier than working with Annabelle,” James mentioned. “Ed is just really easy, incredibly kind. We just get on very, very well.” James began the corporate together with his father Colin Lewis, who invented the painkiller Neurofen, and his mom, a forensic scientist.
The auctioneer mentioned their shared ardour for animals introduced them nearer collectively. “When we want to go somewhere on holiday, he says, how about here? And I go, yeah, love to,” James mentioned. “And we’ll say, where should we go at the weekend? Well, let’s go and see if we can spot the beavers. And he’s such a kind soul. He’s fun, he’s kind. I’m very lucky.”
James has been a patron of the Born Free Foundation – a wildlife rescue and conservation charity – for twenty-four years, working alongside the charity’s co-founder, actress Dame Virginia McKenna, 94. His daughter Arabella is known as after Bella the Lioness, a lion he was rescuing in Romania when he acquired the decision that Annabelle was going into labour.
“I actually drove again from Romania in a van, I dropped off the lion crate with Born Free and I got here again with three dogs, 4 cats, that have been zoo reveals in Romania,” he mentioned. “And the lion that we were rescuing was called Bella the Lioness. So Arabella was named after Bella.”
Despite his well being battles, James stays decided to proceed his charity work. His 2019 cardiac arrest got here simply earlier than a Guinness World Record charity public sale for Born Free, which he nonetheless accomplished, elevating 1 / 4 of 1,000,000 kilos for wildlife charities. “It’s one of those things that, you know, you either keel over and give up, or you just keep on going,” he mentioned.
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