Antiques Roadshow expert Theo Burrell has sadly died at the age of 39, four years after being diagnosed with brain cancer.
The much-loved auctioneer and antiques specialist became a familiar face on the BBC series after joining Antiques Roadshow in 2018. Throughout her illness, Theo also inspired many by sharing honest updates about her diagnosis and treatment.
She is survived by her husband, Alex, and their young son.
Alex announced the heartbreaking news of Theo’s death in a moving post shared on her Instagram over the weekend.
Antiques Roadshow star Theo Burrell dies aged 39
The statement read: “It is with great sadness that I share the news that Theo passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Wednesday afternoon. Neither she nor her medical team foresaw this happening quite so quickly.
“She was an incredible person who fought hard for her family, friends and raising awareness of this cruel disease.
“She saw life events like her son’s first day at school and her wedding that a little over 4 years ago we thought she’d never see.
“The cancer community provided so much comfort and strength to her in her darkest moments. But most of all it provided hope and I think what she would want most of all is for other people to find hope in her story.
“Hope that the statistics aren’t gospel and that one day they’ll be very different.”
Tributes pour in for ‘inspiring’ Theo Burrell following death announcement
Underneath the Instagram post, Theo’s followers quickly paid tribute to her. One person said: “I’m so sorry Theo was such a beautiful person inside and out and such an inspiration to me.”
Another wrote: “I am heartbroken for her family. Theo has been so inspiring and strong.”
Someone else added: “Heartbreaking news. Theo has been a support and inspiration to so many people and faced her own diagnosis with such courage.”
Antiques Roadshow star Theo Burrell has died (Credit: BBC)
Theo Burrell’s cancer diagnosis
Theo received her cancer diagnosis in June 2022. She was diagnosed with a glioblastoma, a highly aggressive brain tumour. It typically carries a life expectancy of 12-18 months.
She first became unwell during the winter of 2021. Theo told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme midway through 2023.
She said: “I wasn’t diagnosed until the June of 2022, so [I had] five or six months of increasingly worsening symptoms – headaches, sickness, problems with my vision, very, very pressurised pains in my head, migraines – the list went on.
“And it wasn’t until I went to A&E at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh that I was given the diagnosis. I had absolutely no idea it was coming, it was a huge shock.”
It wasn’t until the following day that the news really sank in.
She said: “I was told there and then really in no uncertain terms I will be losing my life to this… it was just shocking.”
In June 2023, Theo revealed she had just a “year or two left” to live. She posted on social media giving a “HUGE thank you” to those who had “been in touch” over the past few days. She added: “It’s been wonderful to receive so many messages and words of support.”
Cancer helped her to ‘enjoy the present’
Theo learned to live with her diagnosis. She told Brain Tumour Research in August 2023 that she’d found herself able to “live day to day and enjoy the present”.
“I used to always live in the future,” she said. “I was always working on the next auction which was months down the line.”
She helped the organisation drum up over eighty thousand signatures for a petition calling for increased investment into brain cancer.
Theo continued to share health updates on social media throughout her treatment.
Despite undergoing surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, she revealed “with some heartbreak” that her cancer had started to regrow in October 2024.
Theo’s openness about her illness and determination to raise awareness touched many people throughout her journey, with tributes continuing to pour in following the news of her death.
Support authors and subscribe to content
This is premium stuff. Subscribe to read the entire article.
