Theo Burrell
Born: September 1, 1986;
Died: July 8, 2026
FINE art and antiques were, in a sense, in Theo Burrell’s blood. The popular presenter of the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, who has died aged 39, was distantly related to Sir William Burrell, the shipping magnate and art collector who established the world-renowned Burrell Collection in Glasgow.
Interviewed by a newspaper in 2019, the year after she joined the Roadshow’s distinguished panel of experts, she said: “I love being a Burrell. I’m never going to change my name. Even if I get married, I won’t change it. It’s good to have the connection, especially with the job I do. William was my great-great-grandad’s cousin. I’ve been to the collection in Glasgow many times and it’s fascinating. What a legacy to leave a city. And who knows – it may have rubbed off on me in some way. It’s somewhere in the blood.” Among her favourite Burrell pieces were a Chinese roof tile, from 1600-1700, and an oak fragment of Henry VII’s bed.
Theo was also an auctioneer and senior antiques specialist with Lyon & Turnbull, the 200-year-old fine art and antiques auction house. She had first worked there as a teenager, spending her summers as a viewing employee.
Burrell was 35 years old when, in 2022, after several months of worsening symptoms, she was diagnosed with a grade four glioblastoma multiforme, a highly aggressive form of brain tumour with a life expectancy of between 12 and 18 months. Her son Jonah was 20 months old at the time. She underwent treatments including life-extending surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy and was determined to campaign and to raise awareness of what she called “this devastating disease”. She became a patron of the Brain Cancer Research charity in November 2023 and played a key role in helping it launch the Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence. She supported various charity campaigns and fundraising challenges, and hosted her own events.
Theo established a Just Giving page, with all donations going to the charity. “Brain tumours”, she wrote on her page, “kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer… yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease. This is unacceptable!”
Throughout her treatment, including further surgery and chemotherapy for recurrence of her tumour, she remained an active campaigner, and a few months ago was photographed with Wes Streeting, the then UK health secretary, at the research centre in Edinburgh.
In March this year Burrell and Alex Leaver, her partner of 13 years, were married in Edinburgh, a happy occasion they celebrated with their closest family and friends. She posted on Instagram: “Not only did we have a lot of fun but it feels so nice to be husband and wife after all these years together”.
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She died peacefully on July 8, surrounded by her family. “Neither she nor her medical team foresaw this happening quite so quickly”, her family and Alex said in a statement. “She saw life events like her son’s first day at school and our wedding that a little over four years ago we thought she’d never see.”
Theodora Helen Burrell was born in Edinburgh on September 1, 1986, to Ian Burrell, a senior figure in the insurance industry, and his wife Marion. Her great-grandfather was a glass blower (“I particularly like glass”, she once said). Her grandmother was an art teacher and an aunt was an illustrator.
She attended Ipswich School, a day and boarding school in Suffolk, between 2003 and 2005. Between 2005 and 2009 she took an MA in history at the University of Glasgow and, in 2010-11, at the same university, a Master’s degree in Decorative Arts and Design History. In 2010 she worked for four months as a gallery attendant at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, and before finishing her second degree she interned with Lyon & Turnbull, working on a range of auctions.
Theo joined the auction house’s staff in July 2011 during the closing stages of her post-graduate studies and, in the words of the firm, quickly progressed to become a star auctioneer. At first she worked on the seasonal antiques sales before developing the Interiors sale format. She became an important part of the Fine Furniture & Works of Art team. Among the many intriguing items that crossed her path was a collection of rare 19th century French automata owned by Roger Daltrey, singer with The Who.
Her expertise encompassed European ceramics and glass, fine furniture, and design objects of the late 19th and 20th centuries, as well as works of art and taxidermy.
“I’m not entirely sure how it all happened”, she told the Sunday Mail in 2019 when asked how the Antiques Roadshow invitation had come about. “But the BBC were looking for some new people and contacted me. It was a real honour to be asked. I’ve watched Antiques Roadshow for years. I’m working with the ceramics team and I have a passion for ceramics. But the draw is mainly the stories behind the items – and that’s something I really like about Antiques Roadshow. You are meeting the people who own the items and learning why those items are special or important to them.”
Paying tribute to her, Alex Dove, of Lyon & Turnbull, said: “Theo was a remarkable person who would truly light up a room with her presence. She brought passion and determination to everything she did from the world of antiques to fighting for the brain tumour community. Her willingness to share her knowledge and energy was a real inspiration. Lyon & Turnbull will be a quieter place without that laugh.”
RUSSELL LEADBETTER
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