Antiques Roadshow Host Admits to Split from EastEnders Star Without Excuses
Michael Aspel, now 93, has spoken openly about regret over the breakdown of his three marriages. The former Antiques Roadshow presenter expressed remorse about how each relationship ended.
Career highlights
Aspel fronted Antiques Roadshow from 2000 to 2008. His final recording took place at Kentwell Hall in Suffolk as a tribute to his tenure.
He began as a BBC newsreader and later presented shows including Come Dancing, Crackerjack! and Ask Aspel. He also hosted Miss World several times.
Aspel took over the red book on This Is Your Life from Eamonn Andrews. He presented ITV series such as Give Us A Clue and Child’s Play.
After he left Antiques Roadshow, Fiona Bruce became the programme’s presenter. Vintage Antiques Roadshow airs archive episodes on BBC One weekdays at 4.30pm, with shows also on BBC iPlayer.
Marriages and family
Aspel married Dian Sessions in 1957. They had two sons and divorced in 1961.
He then wed TV scriptwriter Ann Reed in 1962. The couple had twins, a son and a daughter, before divorcing in 1967.
In 1977 he married actress Elizabeth Power, known for playing Christine Hewitt in EastEnders. They had two sons, and suffered the loss of a baby who died at three days and another stillborn child.
Aspel left Power in 1994. He later began a relationship with Irene Clarke, a production assistant on This Is Your Life, and they remain together.
Regrets and public fallout
He has described himself as “full of regrets” about ending those marriages. He said he could not find excuses for his conduct.
Press coverage intensified after photographs linked him with Irene Clarke at a Manchester hotel. He said he had to return home and tell Elizabeth about the situation.
The presenter suggested formative experiences, such as being evacuated during the war in Somerset, shaped his tendency to feel like a loner. He said that feeling often made him want to escape commitments.
How he reflected on his choices
Aspel admitted he sometimes wakes in the night and thinks his actions were “utter madness.” He characterised the pattern of leaving three wives as a personal flaw.
The Antiques Roadshow host admits the split from an EastEnders star and has said he offers no excuses for his behaviour. Those remarks underline the candid nature of his reflections.
Departure from Antiques Roadshow
When Aspel left Antiques Roadshow he said he wanted to quit while the programme was still strong. The exit coincided with the show’s 30th anniversary and his 50th year in broadcasting.
He had travelled about 200,000 miles and presented roughly 200 programmes. He left without another job lined up, saying the workload had become harder to sustain.
This account appears on Filmogaz.com and draws on Aspel’s public comments about his career and personal life.
