Adrian “Adi” Higham captured hearts as a beloved antique dealer on BBC’s The Bidding Room, but his journey from a £10 mountain bike purchase to television fame took an unexpected turn in July 2025. The 55-year-old Kent-based dealer shocked fans by announcing his permanent retirement from both television and social media, choosing instead to focus on his private life with wife Tara Franklin. His story weaves together personal tragedy, remarkable weight loss, and a three-decade career in French antiques that began with pure chance.
Biography
Adi Higham was born Adrian Higham in 1969 in Brookland, Kent, United Kingdom. He’s currently 55 years old.
Growing up in a working-class family in Kent, Higham’s childhood details remain largely private. What’s known is that his family had a high incidence of diabetes, a fact that would become critically important later in his life. He completed his elementary and secondary education at local schools in the UK before attending university, where he reportedly obtained a bachelor’s degree.
Nothing about his early years suggested the antiques career that lay ahead. His entry into the trade came entirely by accident at age 21, sparked by a single purchase at a village auction.
Career
Higham’s antiques career began with remarkable serendipity in 1990. He purchased a mountain bike for £10 at a local village auction, then sold it for £90. That’s an eight-fold profit from one simple transaction. “The buzz was incredible,” he later recalled.
He started by renovating and selling vintage signs before transitioning to furniture dealing. Higham spent over 20 years living and working in France, learning the language fluently and building extensive sourcing networks across the country.
Together with his wife Tara Franklin, Higham runs Hoof Brocante from a converted former RAF base on Romney Marsh, Kent. The business operates from two old buildings at the historic airbase off the A259, specializing in 18th and 19th-century French decorative antiques. Their inventory includes French brocante, vintage toys, galvanized pots, early French oil jars from southern France, hand-painted signs, and unique pedal cars.
“99% of what I buy is from France,” Higham explained in interviews. “There’s something very romantic about buying in France. They’re just very passionate about their history.” The couple also maintains a property in the Pays de la Loire region of France, which serves as their sourcing base during buying trips.
Higham was one of eight original dealers when The Bidding Room premiered on BBC One on June 8, 2020. The show, a British adaptation of the German program “Bares für Rares,” features members of the public bringing antiques to be appraised before dealers compete in bidding wars. Hosted by Nigel Havers and produced by Ricochet Productions (the team behind The Repair Shop), the program found immediate success.
He appeared in approximately 40 episodes through 2025, becoming particularly known for his expertise in unusual items like teddy bears and mechanical objects.
“On set, it’s so easy for me as I’m just me,” he told Source Vintage. “Meet me in real life and nothing changes. I’m genuinely passionate about my job and life.”
His television work expanded in 2023 with The Vintage French Farmhouse, a 20-episode BBC One series filmed in Provence. Higham appeared in five episodes, with his French language skills providing a notable advantage over other dealers.
Yet his July 2025 Instagram announcement stunned followers. “It was a dream of mine to work on TV and I did it. But wish I hadn’t,” he wrote candidly. “My life with Tara is the best thing that has ever happened to me. And the only thing important. My life now becomes private!!!”
The announcement marked the end of what seemed like a flourishing television career, with Higham choosing privacy and his marriage over continued public exposure.
Personal Life
Higham’s personal story includes profound loss. His first wife died in 2003, leaving him to raise their two young children alone. Daughter Georgia was just two years old, and son Daniel was only six months old. The tragedy triggered what he describes as a “consuming disorder,” and his grief manifested in severe weight gain.
By 2015, Higham weighed 36 stone (504 pounds). The crisis came when he collapsed on a ferry and was rushed to hospital. Doctors warned he’d die without dramatic intervention, though he admits their “shock tactics” initially failed to motivate change.
The turning point came after watching the BBC documentary “Fixing Dad,” about a diabetic man who transformed his health through cycling. In 2017, Higham was selected for the Prudential Ride London Fixing Challenge, receiving personalized fitness training, dietary guidance, and professional support. “I couldn’t believe it when I was told I had got a place on the challenge,” he recalled. “Five months ago, I couldn’t even get on a bike but now I’m cycling every day.”
He completed the grueling 100-mile Prudential RideLondon-Surrey route, marking a remarkable achievement. His weight loss journey continued into 2023-2024, with Higham posting about losing over 4 stone and 25kg in less than two months following fitness influencer Eddie Abbew’s no-carb, no-sugar approach. His family history of diabetes provided ongoing motivation to “break the mould.”
Higham is now married to Tara Franklin, a fellow antique dealer who specializes in French textiles, linens, and vintage clothing. Tara also organizes the Penshurst Vintage & Antiques Fair and runs her own Instagram account. The couple have been together for many years, with Tara developing close relationships with Higham’s children from his first marriage.
Their partnership extends beyond marriage into business, with Tara co-running Hoof Brocante. The shop typically opens weekends from 9:30am to 4:30pm and hosts special open weekend events throughout the year.
The months before Higham’s retirement announcement were difficult. He reportedly spent nine months hospitalized with a serious back injury, with fellow Bidding Room dealer Moses Otunla noted for showing kindness during his recovery. In April 2024, concerned fans launched a Change.org petition seeking to “Bring Adi Higham back to the Bidding Room,” which gathered over 640 signatures.
In July 2025, Brighton Magistrates’ Court issued an interim stalking protection order related to what reports describe as a “neighbour dispute” with “allegations on both sides.” The order prohibited certain communications until October 2025, though details remain limited.
Net Worth
Adi Higham’s estimated net worth is nto official but sources say it ranges from $200,000 to $500,000. These figures reflect income from both his long-established antiques business and his television appearances over the past five years.
His primary income streams include Hoof Brocante’s sales of French antiques, his BBC television work on The Bidding Room and The Vintage French Farmhouse, and associated public appearances. With his retirement from television, future income will likely derive solely from the antiques business he continues operating with Tara.
