Christina Trevanion, 44, delivers 8-word message to BBC Antiques Road Trip co-star as pair mark milestone
Auctioneer and television presenter Christina Trevanion has shared a sweet message to her Antiques Road Trip co-star Timothy Medhurst.
The 44-year-old antiques expert took to social media on her birthday on Thursday, June 12, where she delivered a statement to her “twin”.
Sharing a photo on her Instagram Story of herself and fellow Antiques Road Trip star Medhurst, she wrote: “Happiest of birthdays to my birthday twin”.
Trevanion has starred in several of the best-known antique shows, having also featured in Bargain Hunt, Flog It! and The Travelling Auctioneers.
Trevanion didn’t share anything else about plans she had for the day to mark the celebration, but she will likely be spending it with her husband and two daughters.
The auctioneer rarely shares insights into her personal life, but earlier this year she opened up publicly following a harrowing experience in the hope of raising awareness.
The mother-of-two appeared on Morning Live to take part in the candid conversation to raise awareness of AI being used to place people’s faces in often pornographic and explicit material.
Host Gethin Jones introduced the sensitive subject, telling viewers: “Here at Morning Live, we don’t shy away from talking about difficult topics, and today we’re looking at the rise of deepfakes.
“This is where a person’s image is used, often without their consent, to make pictures or videos.”
Co-host Gaby Roslin elaborated: “And in some instances, it’s used to make explicit or pornographic material.”
“My name is Christina Trevanion. I’m an auctioneer, a wife, mother and a TV presenter – meaning I’m used to living life in the public eye,” she began.
The antiques expert continued: “Often, the reaction from the public has been kind and sweet and supportive.
But I would say probably over the last couple of years, there has been a noticeable shift, and at times it can be quite intrusive and upsetting.
“Last September, I discovered that my image had been used to create phony, explicit videos known as deepfake porn.
“I was sent a very long list of sensitive URLs, where my head had been AI’d onto pornographic videos and images.”
Touching on the horrific realisation, she explained: “It was a sense of… this is unreal, this can’t be happening.
“Then, as it sort of sunk in, it was… It was deeply distressing.” A tearful Trevanion paused the lasting impact of the ordeal became clear.
“Yeah, really distressing,” she went on, adding: “And I felt… Naïve and stupid.”
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Still emotional, the presenter bravely continued: “Utterly violated in every single way,” before apologising for breaking down in tears.
The programme explained how it is an offence to share or threaten to share intimate images, including Deepfakes, under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. However, it is currently not illegal to create such images.
“How can we end up in pornographic films without our knowledge and without our consent?” a baffled Trevanion asked.