Auctioneer and TV personality Charlie Ross reveals secrets including the fact his mother thought he would be a ballet dancer in his new autobiography.

Mr Ross, who lives near Oxford, said: “I hope it will gain interest from the two million people who watch TV’s Bargain Hunt every day. 

"Antiques Road Trip also has an incredibly strong following and, in the past, Flog It!. I have really enjoyed participating in all these programmes.

“Since starting a theatre tour, Antiques and a Little Bit of Nonsense, with Philip Serrell and Christina Trevanion in 2023, it has become even more apparent that people love a funny story from the world of antiques.

“And so here it is, the story of my rather unusual journey from almost being a dentist – exam failure ended that dream – to travelling the world with my gavel, selling an interesting mix from the exotic to the more mundane.

"It’s been a lot of fun and long may it continue.”

Sold! tells how, brushing aside academic misfortune, Mr Ross graduated from auctioning antiques in Woburn, Bedfordshire, to selling multi-million-dollar cars in California, for renowned American firm Gooding & Company.

He holds auction records for selling some of the most expensive cars in the world. In 2018 he sold a 1935 Duesenberg for $22 million (£17.5m).

Tales are also revealed about fellow TV antiques experts including what happened when he and Christina Trevanion planned to spend the night in a VW campervan.

Actress and model Elizabeth Hurley says the book is “as much fun as going to one of Charlie’s auctions – at only a fraction of the cost!”

The Charlie Ross autobiography Sold! will be available to buy on Thursday, June 27, 2024 or pre-order from www.bleanbooks.com.