The antique-centered show “Salvage Hunters” is always fascinating to watch. That’s not only due to the special and uncommon finds the show lets us discover, but also because we get to see how committed to his life’s passion Drew Pritchard is.
For this and many other reasons, “Salvage Hunters” has become a fan favorite, surpassing the limits of British TV to gain a considerable audience in other European countries and the US too. Not content with just finding and selling items, Drew is always looking to take his love of antiques further, growing and expanding his business on top of that.
So what is Drew Pritchard doing now? Did he sell his old store and his belongings? What’s going on with his TV show? This and more you’ll discover in this video!
What Is He Doing Now?
These past couple of years have been full of changes for Drew Pritchard, in more than one way. Following his divorce from his “Salvage Hunter” co-host Rebecca, Drew experienced a series of not-so-positive events, such as being banned from attending any pub in Conwy, Wales, after being involved in a brawl.
This led Drew to reconsider his recent life choices, deciding it was due time for a change. That’s how he not only adopted a completely sober lifestyle but also sold his Conwy High Street store in 2022. Drew’s new lifestyle included selling his beloved house, which he’d had since 1995, and spent several years turning it from a Methodist church into a family house. The antique belongings once stored in his house were sold at an auction in March 2024.
Regarding these big changes in his life, in October 2023 Drew told the Telegraph: ‘I’ve completely binned my old life and started afresh,’ affirming that all of this made him more focused at work, though that also has to do with some habits he recently adopted, such as exercising, eating and sleeping well.
Reportedly, Drew is now living in an historic house in Bath, England. His TV show aired its 18th season in 2024.
What Happened To His Collection?
The new, fresh start which Drew Pritchard has been pursuing in the past couple of years also included saying goodbye to some of his most beloved possessions; in March 2024, Drew sold most of his private antique collection at auction for over £800,000, which is around $1 million. After covering expenses and commissions, Drew’s total gain was around $800,000.
The sale was hosted by the auction site Dreweatts 1975, having Drew promote the event himself with a video showing some of his most prized possessions, including his two favorite chairs, several antique sculptures, and paintings. As Drew revealed in front of cameras, he’d had some of these items for over three decades, and considered many of them his ‘friends’, yet he also said that this sale was a normal ‘process’ in his antique dealership business, helping him to ‘cleanse the palette’.
While it would be hard for anyone to let some of their favorite things go, most likely forever, Drew takes pride in his principles as a dealer and not as a collector. As he revealed to The Telegraph in October 2023, one of the staples of his career was that ‘everything is always on sale’, including his now former store, his house of over 27 years, and now his collection.
What About His Cars?
Besides his beloved antiques, Drew is an avid automotive fan, collector and dealer. He owns Drew Pritchard Classics alongside Clive Holland, an avid car and motorcycle lover who has been in the business for quite some time.
While Drew applies the same ‘don’t hold onto it for long’ principle with cars that he has with antiques, he’s also a long-time automotive lover with many stories to tell. As he confessed in a Hagerty feature from 2022, he’s owned around 250 cars, including Volkswagens, Capris, Subarus, Porches, Aston Martins, and a lot more.
Romance is in the air for @DrewPritchard & @PaulCowland_ 😂 #SalvageHuntersClassicCars continues tonight with a classic brown Lancia Fulvia 🤩 pic.twitter.com/GqSP2QZdMo
— Quest (@QuestTV) February 8, 2023
Nevertheless, some of these cars Drew does regret selling. Famous is the story of when he sold his 1997 BMW 323i M and regretted that the next day, but unable to locate the car or its owners ever again. A similar story happened to his 2006 Porsche 911 C4S, though in this case, his longing for the car resulted in him getting it back a couple of years down the road.
After many regrets about his former cars, Drew told Hagerty that he was done selling the ‘cars he loved’, instead focusing on keeping them despite that being considered a bad habit for dealers. However, it’s unclear whether Drew has changed his mind since that interview.
What Happened To His Old House?
While it might seem rare for anyone to sell the property they’ve worked hard to renovate for over two decades, that’s not how Drew Pritchard does things. By early 2023, he realized it was due time for him to sell the former Methodist chapel that he bought in 1995.
As he told Homes & Antiques, he wasn’t ‘sentimental’ about the sale, as it was part of his business. Nevertheless, it appears that he hadn’t lived in that house since his divorce in 2017, having moved to a cottage alone which was nicknamed ‘Chateau Despair’ by one of his friends due to the nature of the move, as he revealed to The Times in 2023.
This cottage was also located in his hometown of Conwy but had to undergo some renovations before Drew was content with it. However, a historical house in Bath caught Drew’s eye in 2021, and despite thinking it was ‘too much’ for him at the time, two years later he was invited to buy it and couldn’t say no. He plans to renovate it to its former 1790 glory.
Drew is keeping his Chateau Despair in Conwy, though he’s admitted that keeping both houses at the same time has ‘cost him all the money he ever had’.
What’s Next For Drew?
Given all the life-changing decisions which Drew Pritchard has taken these past couple of years, it’s hard to imagine what else he’s planning on doing from now on.
However, some things remain in place for Drew, such as his show “Salvage Hunters”, which early 2024 successfully premiered its 18th season. There doesn’t seem to be any plans to change the show, as it’s instead kept its essence intact from the beginning.
Another constant in Drew’s life has been his commitment to antique selling, not only when he’s on the road or in his shop but also when it comes to sharing his knowledge with others. That’s what led him to release the books “Man With A Van” in 2021. and “How Not to Be an Antiques Dealer” in 2023.
All in all, these days Drew Pritchard seems to be doing just fine – doing what he loves.