Deborah Meaden has been on Dragons’ Den since 2006 (Picture: ITV)
Deborah Meaden is one of Dragons’ Den’s most famous investors, but the star revealed on Wednesday that she almost turned down the gig completely.
Speaking on Loose Women’s midweek episode, the 64-year-old businesswoman explained she was initially reluctant about being in the spotlight, but now quite enjoys being approached in the street.
Deborah’s been on the popular BBC show since 2006 and for most fans, the Den simply wouldn’t be the same without her.
Speaking on Wednesday, Deborah shared: ‘I actually turned it down three times. I said, “no, I don’t want to be in the spotlight”.’
The star added: ‘But actually, I don’t mind people approaching me in the street because they’re talking about the thing I love and they’re having a go. They’re not sitting on their sofas thinking, “oh, I’ve got a great idea”.’
When asked whether people actually pitch her in the street, Deborah exclaimed: ‘All the time!’
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The 64-year-old businesswoman explained she was initially reluctant about being in the spotlight (Picture: ITV)
Deborah also suggested she has no intentions of leaving Dragons’ Den anytime soon.
When asked whether she still loves being on the show, she enthusiastically replied: ‘Every year I think, “is this my last series?” And I sit in that chair and I get excited.’
Deborah’s Loose Women appearance comes after she revealed that people can’t believe their eyes when they spot her at second hand stores.
‘I buy second-hand clothes. People do double-takes when they see me in charity shops.’
Deborah also suggested she has no intentions of leaving Dragons’ Den anytime soon (Picture: BBC)
‘Now, everybody in the Den talks about sustainability, which pleases me,’ she added to The Mirror.
Elsewhere, Deborah recently urged others to be aware of changes to their body after herself ‘ignoring’ the signs before being diagnosed with skin cancer.
She discovered a change with her skin while having her make-up done for Dragons’ Den more than seven years ago, and the timing couldn’t have been more fortunate.
‘I was filming Dragon’s Den, and I don’t get spots, but my make-up artist had noticed what looked like a [tiny little] whitehead that had been on my face for probably about six weeks,’ Deborah explained.
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‘She kept saying, “That’s not right, Deborah”, and I thought, “OK that’s really weird, I don’t usually get spots”. I was going off to Africa and I thought, before I go, I just need to get that checked out.’
Sharing her experience with Vogue Williams on the Taboo Talk podcast, Deborah revealed she then sent a photo of the spot to her doctor and was told ‘it could be something, it might not, but it could be something’.
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The show wouldn’t be the same without her.
