The only remaining Dragon from the very first series of Dragons' Den, Peter Jones, is now a very successful businessman. With an estimated net worth of anywhere between £500 million and £1bn, depending on various sources, he has plenty of professional highs, such as investing in Levi Roots Reggae Reggae Sauce, and some lows, such when his first business failed.
It is also reported that he had a fallout with This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby when she dropped out of supporting his partner's brand. Peter set up his first business aged just 16, when he made personal computers, and despite a very successful start the business went on to fail when Peter was in his 20s.
He decided to sell the business to IBM and as a result, lost £200,000 and had to sell his home and cars and move back home to his parents. Peter was able to bounce back from this loss as he opened a very successful cocktail bar in Windsor, based on the Tom Cruise film Cocktail, and created his very strong business Phones International Group which he sold in 2011 for £38 million.
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The 55-year-old also suffered another business setback in 2018 when his former friend, Holly Willoughby, backed out of supporting one of his ventures. Peter and his partner Tara, with whom he has three children, had been firm friends with Holly and her husband Dan Baldwin for over 10 years before the friendship fell apart over a business deal gone wrong as MyLondon reports.
Previously the friendship group had even holidayed together and Peter had owned a 40% stake in Dan's TV production company but when Tara, with Peter's help, set up her own affordable lifestyle business, Truly the friendship began to fade. Originally Holly supported Truly and was the celebrity face for the business, with ad campaigns made with her face on them but in a shock move Holly pulled out of the business in the last hour.
MyLondon reported that Peter was "furious" and Tara later told The Telegraph: "Euggh. I’m not going to pretend it was devastating. We were exceptionally close. And of course as a business, you really feel the loss of a celebrity face." At the time Holly posted a statement to Instagram saying she was stepping back from Truly as she could not give the brand the full dedication it deserved, she said: "After much consideration, I have made the decision to step away from Truly. To launch a brand needs total dedication and at the moment, with so many other commitments, this is not something I feel I can do without it starting to affect my family time at home. I wish Truly all the best for the future."
It is believed that Holly pulled out to focus on her TV career and her brand deal with Marks and Spencer and in 2021 she set up her own lifestyle brand Wylde Moon. Peter was born in Berkshire and moved to Maidenhead when he was seven. In 2005 he appeared on the first series of Dragons' Den and has remained on the show ever since.
During his time on the show he has invested over £5 million and he had his own ITV show Tycoon in 2006 and 2007, with the viewing figures beating that of The Apprentice and Dragons' Den. When Peter was 21 he married Caroline, whom he had two children with - Annabel and William. Peter and Caroline separated in 2008 and he now lives in Buckinghamshire with Tara and their three daughters - Natalie, Isabella, and Tallulah.
Peter's other successful business moves include taking over the gift experience company Red Letter Days with former Dragon Theo Paphitis and he has founded his own foundation that helps to support women in education.
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