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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Joel Leaver

Dragons' Den investors' love lives - messy £345million divorce to second chance romance

There have been numerous investors on Dragons' Den since it launched almost 20 years ago, who have included Kelly Hoppen and Duncan Bannatyne.

The latest line-up for the popular BBC business show however consists of Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies and Steven Bartlett.

The five investors - who each made their debut on the show at different times - feature in the twentieth series of the programme, which is currently being broadcast weekly.

Although they are household names, viewers may not know that much about their lives away from the den - so here's a look at the personal lives of the five current Dragons, as well as those of some previous investors on the show.

Peter Jones

Peter Jones has been on Dragons' Den since its debut since in 2005 (BBC/Andrew Farrington)
He's in a relationship with Tara Capp (WireImage)

Peter, 57, is the last remaining original investor on Dragons' Den. The entrepreneur - known for running tech companies - has been on the show since it launched in 2005.

Back then, he was married to his first wife Caroline. The pair - who are said to have divorced in 2008 - have two children together, with them parents to Annabelle, 29, and William.

More recently, he's been in a relationship with Tara Capp. The couple are believed to be in a long-term relationship, with it reported that Peter and Tara are not married.

The couple - who are the co-founders of lifestyle brand Truly together, which launched in 2019 - have three kids together. They are parents to Natalia, 21, Isabella, 17, and Tallulah, 16.

Deborah Meaden

Deborah Meaden joined the show in 2006 (Getty Images)
The entrepreneur is married to Paul Farmer (Getty Images Europe)

Deborah, 64, made a name for herself through leisure and retail businesses before joining Dragons' Den back in 2006. She has remained on the show since her debut.

The entrepreneur has been married to Paul Farmer since 1993. The couple are said to have met years earlier in 1985 when he worked at her family's business Weststar Holidays.

They are said to have been in a relationship some time after meeting but later split up. Deborah and Paul are said to have rekindled their romance a few years later.

The couple - who got married in 1993 after getting back together - are said to live on a farm in Somerset with a variety of animals, which includes several dogs and horses.

Whilst discussing such, she once told the Daily Mail : "I don't like anything with too much dependency. Children are very dependent, which is probably why we never had them."

And she revealed to the Telegraph in 2011 that Paul is responsible for domestic chores at their home. "I hate cleaning," she commented, before later adding: "I still don't do any domestic chores; my husband Paul is in charge."

Touker Suleyman

Touker Suleyman has been on the show since 2015 (BBC/Andrew Farrington)
It is unknown if it's in a relationship at the moment (BBC/Andrew Farrington)

Touker Suleyman, 69, has been an investor on the BBC show for a number of years, having joined the line-up in 2015. He's a fashion retail entrepreneur outside of the show.

It's unknown whether Touker is in a relationship at the moment. It's been reported previously that he isn't married, though he doesn't appear to have publicly discussed such.

He has however spoken about his two children on social media in recent years. The entrepreneur - who is said to live in London - is father to daughters Tashia, 24, and Taya, 20.

Sara Davies

Sara Davies (left) - who joined the show in 2019 - is married to Simon Davies (right) (saradaviescc/instagram)

Sara, 38, is one of the most recent additions to Dragons' Den, having joined the show in 2019. She made a name for herself in business through a crafter's supply company.

The entrepreneur has been married to her husband Simon Davies since 2007. She previously revealed that they had met as teenagers and have been together for two decades.

Sara said in 2021: "I would say we're still as madly in love today as we were 22 years ago. We have this deep-rooted respect of each other [and] I idolise the ground he walks on."

The married couple - who are understood to live with their family in Teesside - have two children together. Sara and Simon are parents to sons Oliver, nine, and Charlie, six.

Steven Bartlett

Steven Bartlett is the latest addition to the show, having joined in 2021 (BBC/Andrew Farrington)
He's understood to be dating influencer Melanie Vaz Lopes (meloai/Instagram)

Steven, 30, became the youngest ever Dragon to join the show in 2021. The entrepreneur has co-founded several businesses and is also known for his Diary of a CEO podcast.

It's understood that Steven has been in a relationship with influencer Melanie Vaz Lopez since last year. They are said to have first connected through social media in 2016.

The couple are believed to have dated a few years ago before going their separate ways. Steven has suggested that it ended because he was too dedicated to his career.

Steven - who's spoken about wanting to have a family of his own in the future - is said to have since rekindled his romance with Melanie after flying to Bali to win her back.

Speaking about his relationship, he told the Sun last year: "Getting myself into a loving relationship with a wonderful woman has totally been my greatest achievement".

Steven said he had "kind of avoided relationships" until his mid-twenties, adding: "I've been mature enough to keep [this] relationship strong and grow with it."

Duncan Bannatyne

Duncan Bannatyne appeared on the show from the debut series until 2014 (BBC)

One of the original Dragons, Duncan announced he was leaving his chair in 2014 after 12 series due to other business commitments.

Duncan has been married three times and has six children from his first two wives

He wed first wife Gail Brodie in 1983, who he shares daughter Hollie, Abigail, Jennifer and Eve with, but they divorced in 1994.

Then he tied the knot with Joanne McCue in 2006, mother of his kids Emily and Thomas, but their marriage ended six years later.

Duncan said he received a text from Joanne while filming the ninth series of Dragons Den stating she had filed for divorce in the High Court.

He is currently married to Nigora Whitehorn (Getty)

“So when I stood in that car park, with my fellow Dragons’ Den judge Peter Jones, shaking with disbelief at Joanne’s text message, I knew it was going to be expensive,” he told the Daily Mail in 2013.

He admitted he regretted not signing a prenuptial agreement as the divorce cost him £345million but he was truly in love.

Now the 71-year-old is married to Nigora Whitehorn, who is 31 years younger than the former Dragon.

Duncan fell madly in love with her the first time they met when he visited the Harley Street dental surgery she was working in.

He proposed after two years together and they married in Portugal the following year.

Kelly Hoppen

Kelly Hoppen was on the BBC show from 2013 until 2015 (Getty Images)
She's currently in a relationship with John Gardiner (WireImage)

Kelly, 63, is known for her interior design expertise and has appeared on various TV shows. This includes being an investor on Dragons' Den between 2013 and 2015.

She has been married twice in the past, firstly to Graham Corrett, with whom she shares daughter Natasha Corrett. She was later married to Sienna Miller 's dad Edwin Miller.

Kelly has more recently been in a relationship with John Gardiner. She mentioned him a recent piece for the Daily Mail, which saw her discuss having been diagnosed with breast cancer last year.

The entrepreneur described him as "loving and supportive," adding that he had been "buoying [her] up when [her] strength faltered and [her] mood plummeted; making [her] laugh when [she] wanted to cry."

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