Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden is turning 63 and to celebrate her birthday, we’re taking a look inside her glamorous life.
BBC dragon Deborah is a fan favourite on the big money investment programme and has been a Dragon since 2003, after taking over from Rachel Elnaugh on the third series.
The businesswoman is one of the wealthy investors on the BBC show and has amassed a mega fortune through years of savvy business decisions, but what else do we know about her?
From her 10-bedroom Somerset mansion with a whole farmyard work of pets to a whopping net worth, let’s take a closer look…
Married life
(Image: BBC)
Somerset-born Deborah married long-term boyfriend Paul in 1993 and they live in her home county.
The couple met in 1985 when he was working at her former holiday company Weststar during his university break.
However, things weren’t always rosy as they split briefly due to Deborah not wanting a family with him.
She then took a trip to Venezuela, but on her return to London came back and married him.
In a 2011 interview with the Telegraph, Deborah revealed that she never does any housework because her husband is in charge of “domestic chores.”
Meaden’s mansion
(Image: BBC/Richard Harrison)
The Dragon’s Den has a seriously impressive house – a 10-bedroom mansion in fact.
After selling her Weststar Holidays company for £33m back in 2006, the couple bought the lavish property in Somerset to have a calm life in the countryside.
Since the move, the couple have been constantly renovating their home, using period-accurate materials – which is a factor to environmentalist Deborah’s heart.
(Image: INSTAGRAM)
At the time they bought the property, Deborah said: “We have done it up in an ethical way, restoring whatever we can using traditional materials.
“That has cost us at least twice as much as it needed to. I always say, we were lucky to find our home, and it was lucky to find us.
“I do not know anybody in their right mind who would have spent the money on it we have – far more than we will ever get back.”
Animal obsessed
Along with a beautiful house, Deborah also is lucky enough to be situated near picturesque countryside surroundings.
Near her home, animal lover and vegan Deborah often enjoys country walks and rides on her horses.
The couple do not share any children, but reportedly own a whopping two cats, three dogs, six horses, three pigs, five sheep, ten chickens, six ducks and three geese.
Speaking about her rescue animals to The Daily Mail, she said: “There’s something in me that thinks, if I can, ‘I’ll give these guys a good life’.
“We’ve got two dogs, too, but they’re definitely Paul’s. I’m not a dog person. They require too much attention. I don’t like anything with too much dependency.
“Children are very dependent, which is probably why we never had them.”
Net worth
(Image: BBC/Andrew Farrington)
As of 2022, the TV star’s net worth is estimated to be roughly £40 million. Much of which came from the sale of her multimillion-pound family holiday business.
According to her website, since joining the BBC panel on Dragons’ Den in 2003, she has also invested over £2 million in 33 entrepreneur ventures.
Happy Birthday, Deborah!
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
