Interview with Katie Ridges, 20th Century Furniture, Art and Fashion Expert

Why did you want to be part of Millionaire Hoarders? 

This series poses challenges and I love a challenge! I love exploring new opportunities and this is a new career path for me, one I didn't even remotely expect. 

On the night before filming how excited are you by the prospect of trawling through these homes? 

The France trip [in the later run] was always going to be very exciting for me. I had a real adrenaline rush when the owners told me there was an attic and they didn’t know what was up there. That key line made me want to say, “Let me in!” The couple inherited all their pieces, but they were so interested in finding out about everything in the buildings. 

I felt excitement ahead of every investigation. What’s great about the series is every single episode is different and every story is a real journey. What’s interesting about each episode are the people I’ve met, who hold onto items for different reasons. The human quality, which lets us into their lives, is really nice. 

What did you enjoy most - finding out more about the people and their emotional attachments to pieces, or the possibility of finding something extraordinary? 

It was both - I really liked everybody, and I made some real connections with people, friendships that will continue after filming. But I love discovering pieces and discoveries start my adrenaline flowing. You don’t know what you’re going to find. 

How much pressure do you feel to find something which could change the contributors’ lives, especially when they’ve shared their hopes and dreams? 

You do feel a lot of responsibility and there are a lot of nerves when you haven’t spotted anything, which is a nail-biting situation. You really do want to deliver because they're looking to you to help them and that’s not something I take lightly. I want to help, especially when you get to know people and build those relationships. 

How was your expertise challenged by the range of items that you see over the series? 

I’m learning every single day - I'd be a liar if I said I knew everything about everything, because I really don't. I have my speciality and I know how to sell things. One of my stories was about bikes and I don't know about bikes. 

I understand how to package and sell something, which is how I had to apply my expertise to that particular story. I learned a lot and every day is a school day, for sure. 

Were you ever tempted to buy something from one of the participants? 

I did and it was difficult, because I had to switch my dealer brain off. In France [feature in the later run] I would have loved to have bought lots of things in the attic, but I didn't want to because I was there to build relationships with people and not to buy cheap and sell high. 

What are some of your favourite moments in the series? 

France was my heaven. The first time I passed through the gates of the château was amazing, because it was beyond any of my expectations. I didn't realize it was going to be quite so huge. To rummage through that attic in full PPE, where I must have appeared to be absolutely mad, was great fun. 

What do you hope the audience takes from the series? 

I hope the audience sees that treasure still is out there, because that's what you hope for when you do this job. There's always something in your attic that’s worth exploring a little bit more - don't just chuck it away.