Popular daytime TV show returns to screens just months after its host was forced to deny claims he had secretly quit the long-running series

Popular daytime TV show Dickinson's Real Deal returned to screens for its 19th series on Monday.

It comes just months after the show's iconic host David Dickinson was forced to deny secretly quitting the series.

Dickinson's Real Deal aired in 2006 and returned to screens for the following season at 2pm on ITV.

In April 2023, it was reported that TV veteran David, 82, would be leaving the show after 16 years.

A show insider said at the time: 'It is an open secret at Dickinson's Real Deal that David will be leaving the show after filming the upcoming series.

It comes just months after the show's iconic host David Dickinson was forced to deny claiming he had secretly quit the series (pictured in 2004)

'He absolutely loved leading the show, it was a huge success for the channel and viewers still love it 16 years after its launch.

'David has had such an incredible career in showbiz to date and has no plans to retire from TV permanently and is still open to exploring further opportunities.'

An ITV spokesperson told MailOnline at the time: 'The current series of Dickinson's Real Deal is in production and filming throughout the spring and summer. No further decisions have been made regarding future series.”

But he's back for series 19 and in the first episode he traveled to Stoke in Staffordshire.

It was reported that he left the show to spend more time at home with his wife Lorne Lesley, now that they are both in their eighties.

However, a representative for David responded to the rumours, telling The Mirror: 'David has no plans to withdraw from Dickinson's Real Deal, a show he continues to enjoy making, and he is very much looking forward to returning to work on the upcoming series this year. month.'

David has been dealing in antiques for more than 30 years, previously calling upon his permanent tan and flamboyant personality to win him legions of fans.

He made his name on Bargain Hunt, where he became known for the slogans 'real bobby-dazzler' and 'cheap as chips', and later moved from the BBC to ITV, where he fronted Dickinson's Real Deal from 2006.

Dickinson's Real Deal aired in 2006 and returned to screens on ITV for the following season at 2pm

It was reported that he left the show to spend more time at home with his wife Lorne Lesley, now that they are both in their 80s (pictured in 2003)

The presenter starred in the very first series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2004, competing alongside former professional dancer Camilla Dallerup and a year later she took part in the ITV series I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

His love of performing and showmanship was inspired by his wife Lorne, a former cabaret star, when the couple first met in a nightclub in the 1960s.

The couple, who have been married since 1968, have two children together and also have grandchildren, one of whom became the youngest ever contestant to successfully secure investment in business show Dragons' Den.

David opened up about the highs and lows of his life in the autobiography The Duke, where he spoke about learning at the age of 12. He was adopted as a baby by Joyce and Jim Dickinson.

He discovered more about his heritage while filming the BBC documentary Who Do You Think You Are?, including that his Armenian grandfather was a former silk merchant and worked on the same streets where he learned the trade.

The presenter starred in the very first series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2004, performing alongside former professional dancer Camilla Dallerup (pictured in 2004)

After moving from the BBC to ITV, David took part in the Aussie series I'm A Celeb in 2005, starring the likes of former EastEnders actor Sid Owen as his campmate (pictured in 2005)

Cheryl Hakeney, a Dickinson's Real Deal dealer for 14 years, told MailOnline last year that she remembers David selling at Olympia in London, and said his stand resembled his outgoing personality.

She said: 'I've known him for many years, I knew him before I was on the show because he's a friend of my dad's, and that's not how I got the job, he used to be a fantastic antiques dealer and he used to deal in truly beautiful and unusual antiques, with a focus on interior design.

'He's from Manchester but also exhibited at Olympia London every year and David's stand was just like him, over the top, and the most fantastic and unusual things. He's amazing and you can't believe he's 81 and still working, he's a real showman.'