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Bargain Hunt star marries husband 18 years his junior after split from wife

Auctioneer James Lewis is best known for being a staple of the BBC antiques show, but has now opened up on finally marrying his darling husband Ed Otter last September after splitting from his wife

[Two men in formal attire, one holding a glass, stand next to each other in front of a wall adorned with logos and text.]

Bargain Hunt star James Lewis has been lovingly wed to his husband Ed Otter since September(Image: PA)

Bargain Hunt expert James Lewis has opened up on his new marriage to a man 18 years younger than him. It comes after he revealed that he had in fact split from his wife.

TV antiques auctioneer James, 53, married new beau Ed Otter last September in an intimate ceremony with just 50 guests. This included his beloved 17-year-old daughter Arabella, who was born from his previous marriage.

Speaking at the Born Free Foundation's Footsteps to Freedom Ball in London, Bargain Hunt star James opened up about discovering love again after his marriage to Annabelle ended. He also admitted that he fell in love with Ed immediately after setting eyes on him back in 2011.

[LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 09: Auctioneer James Lewis attends the Tusk Ball 2019 at Kensington Palace on May 9, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)]

James Lewis opened up on how in love he is with his darling hubby Ed(Image: Ian Gavan, Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

"I met my husband 15 years ago playing pool, of all things, in the local pub in Derbyshire," he said, according to the Mirror. "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 is an expert on Bargain Hunt and previously Flog It! until the programme ended in 2020 admitted the pair nearly eloped to America to tie the knot. However, he said that they wanted to include his daughter Arabella in the special day and so put the ceremony off so everyone could be involved.

"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," James said. "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."

[Three individuals engaged in conversation in a room featuring an ornate glass cabinet and a wooden piece of furniture, with one of them smiling.]

The former Flog It! star admitted the pair nearly eloped to America before deciding daughter Arabella needed to be involved

James revealed his daughter calls both him and Ed "Dad", adding: "He and Arabella get on so well. I'm very lucky." But it hasn't always been plain sailing for James, after he admitted a health scare nearly meant the wedding had to be cancelled.

The auctioneer explained his heart rate had soared to over 250 beats per minute on his wedding day. For reference, a normal resting heart rate for adults is typically 60-100 beats per minute.

"I've had two cardiac arrests; I had one in 2013 and I had another one in 2019," he admitted. "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? September 11 was getting married."

[James Lewis]

The Bargain Hunt star said he nearly suffered a cardiac arrest on his wedding day(Image: Stoke Sentinal WS)

His cardiologist warned him to avoid high-stress situations, but James joked: "I'm not intending to get married again, but there will be more charity auctions." Meanwhile, he gushed over his new hubby, revealing that Ed works as the Toys, Trains and Juvenalia Specialist at his auction house, where his wife Annabelle also used to work.

"Working with Ed is a lot easier than working with Annabelle," James said. "Ed is just really easy, incredibly kind. We just get on very, very well."

James has been a patron of the Born Free Foundation a wildlife rescue and conservation charity for 24 years, working alongside the charity's co-founder, actress Dame Virginia McKenna, 94. His daughter Arabella is named after Bella the Lioness, a lion he was rescuing in Romania when he received the call that Annabelle was going into labour.

Despite his health struggles, James is resilient in keeping up with his work for charity. His 2019 heart attack happened just before a Guinness World Record charity auction for Born Free; which ended up raising 250,000 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 said.

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