Kate Bliss revealed the hardest part about appearing on BBC's . The 50-year-old has featured on the programme for a number of years and has also appeared on Flog It! and Secret Dealers. Born in Herefordshire, the TV presenter studied English literature and fine art before deciding on a career in antiques. She started off her working life at her father's valuation and auction business.

Once her career in antiques was well-established, she started working alongside some of her Bargain Hunt co-stars, including Philip Serrell. Outside of her work, Kate met Jonathan Bliss at Brightwells Auctioneers and Valuers and the couple went on to tie the knot in 2005. They share two children; Lily and Ben. Despite loving her job, Kate admitted leaving her family behind when she travels is what she struggles with the most.

It's always a thrill to explore new places and new antiques fairs that I love," she said in a BBC interview. "The hardest thing is leaving my family. I usually try and find them a small present if I've been on the road for a few days."

Kate has her father to thank for her career, having grown up "rummaging for treasure and sitting on the auctioneer's rostrum" in his saleroom from an early age.

Her father's passion eventually rubbed off on Kate and he taught her "how to auctioneer and command the room". Kate loved studying the craftsmanship of pieces and the history behind them. She now specialises in jewellery and silver.

Discussing how she ended up on Bargain Hunt, the antique expert explained how she was spotted at her local saleroom.

She said: "I was the only lady auctioneer at my local saleroom and we were a bit of a novelty back then (it's going back a bit!), so I was asked to appear on the show as the auctioneer and then quickly followed as an expert.

"I will never forget turning up at my first shoot in my high heels, feeling very proud in my new suit but the fair we were filming at was outdoors and it rained the entire weekend. I ended up wearing Philip Serrell's wellies which were 3 sizes too big!"

Asked about her favourite part of her role, Kate admitted she loves meeting new people on the show.

"Sometimes we only have a short cuppa in the green room with new contestants before it's out on the shop, so it's great to quickly strike up a rapport with people and have some fun," she declared.

Kate added: "But I also love looking at antiques. I'm always learning in this business and it's very rewarding to be able to impart a few tricks of the trade or some history to those who have only just started learning."