Skip to main contentSkip to footer
Man playing jazz guitar in workshop© BBC Studios

Antiques Road Trip star Danny Sebastian's life off-screen explored

Danny lives in Northamptonshire with his partner Joanne and three daughters

Nicky Morris
TV and film writer
Updated: February 19, 2025
Share this:

Danny Sebastian has been in the antiques business for over two decades and regularly shares his expertise on the popular BBC show, Bargain Hunt. The self-taught antiques dealer began his TV career by featuring in a pilot version of the BBC's Del Boys and Dealers, which later became a four-part series. 

Since then, Danny has become a regular face on our screens and recently joined Antiques Road Trip as a new expert. But what does he get up to away from the cameras? Find out about his home life here…

WATCH: Meet Antiques Road Trip presenters

Danny Sebastian's career in antiques

Danny's passion for antiques was inspired by his mum, who would take him to auction houses and jumble sales as a kid. 

"She loved a bargain," Danny said of his mother. "We'd go to Wilford's and I'd be mesmerised by the grand arrangement of it all. She'd buy anything as long as it was cheap," he told the Lancashire Telegraph.

Bargain Hunt's Danny Sebastian© BBC Studios
Danny is a regular face on Bargain Hunt

On how he ended up in the business, Danny said it was "fate". "I was at an auction down south and stumbled across a room that was being prepared for a Mid-20th Century sale and all that I saw I just loved," he told the BBC, adding: "Straight away I thought 'I'm getting into this game; I'd love to sell this tackle'."

Danny's family tragedy and prison stint

When Danny was just 14 years old, his dad was tragically killed in a fire caused by a gas heater in his shed. 

Danny took his father's passing "very hard" and ended up "on the wrong side of the law".

Danny Sebastian as a young man© @MrSebDaniel/X
Danny ended up on 'the wrong side of the law' after his father died

"I'd been a bit of a jack the lad before, always the joker, but I was bright. But I went completely off the rails," he told the Lancashire Telegraph. "I started being rude at school and I'd constantly disrupt classes. The teachers understood and felt sorry for me, but I really didn't want any sympathy. I was very very angry with the world and my dad wasn’t around to discipline me."

What started as stealing clothes he couldn't afford turned into robbery and violence which led to a four-year prison sentence. 

Bargain Hunt's Danny Sebastian© BBC Studios
Danny is a self-taught antiques dealer

Opening up about his experience in jail, Danny said: "There's always someone bigger and nastier than you and they were the roughest of the rough. You can never win in prison. I may have been a big fish in my pool, but in there I was a tiddler and I soon learned it wasn't the place for me."

Thankfully, Danny is "more of a lover than a fighter" now and encourages other young boys to avoid violence. "My advice to any young lad is 'no matter what the situation don't put yourself in that predicament'," he said. 

Danny's home life 

Danny is in a long-term relationship with his partner, Joanne, who sometimes features on the TV star's social media page. 

Danny lives in a vintage emporium home in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire with Joanne and three daughters. 

Danny Sebastian with his partner Joanne© @MrSebDaniel/X
Danny with his partner Joanne

Danny's hobbies away from the show

When he's not busy dishing out his top antiquing tips on Bargain Hunt, Danny spends his free time walking his dog Marvin and travelling. 

Danny Sebastian's adorable dog Marvin© @MrSebDaniel/X
Danny loves walking his adorable dog Marvin

He told the BBC: "I honestly don't get a lot of free time. So much to do and so many places to be. I do enjoy dog walks, dining, dancing, music, travel and the occasional drop of rum!"

Danny also revealed his dreams of running his own bar. "I've always thought of having my own bar, which could possibly still happen, but if I weren't in the antiques game, who knows, I could be cleaning windows or flogging Ferraris," he said. 

Sign up to our TV & Film newsletter for The Emmy Edit’s highlights and the latest releases in What to Watch

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More TV and Film

See more