Dragons’ Den star Sara Davies has spoken of her concerns about getting early-onset diabetes following a blood test last year that placed her on the “borderline” of having the condition.
The 40-year-old businesswoman says that when she appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2021, she was “on top” of being at a “higher risk of type two diabetes in later life”, but has since got back to higher glucose levels.
Davies, who was eliminated in week eight of the 19th series of the BBC dancing show, told Prima magazine that she was “running a lot and eating well” during her time on the celebrity dancing programme.
The owner of arts and crafts supply company Crafter’s Companion told Prima: “I had gestational diabetes in both my pregnancies, which meant that I’m at a higher risk of type two diabetes in later life, and I need to get my BMI comfortably under 30 to be healthy.
“In the run-up to Strictly, I got really on top of it. I was running a lot and eating well, all because I was in a routine, so I got in great shape. But then, after I did Strictly, I lost the routine, I lost the motivation and I went back downhill.
“I saw the weight pile back on, which for me is a problem.
“Every year on my birthday, my HbA1C check tells me how close my blood sugar levels are to early-onset diabetes. And last year, my HbA1C was right on the borderline.”
According to Diabetes UK, a HbA1c measures your “average blood glucose (sugar) levels for the last two to three months”, and if it is in the higher end than a person can develop diabetes-related issues in their eyes and feet.
Healthcare professionals can advise patients who could be edging towards pre-diabetes on how to change their lifestyle, and keep glucose in target levels, the charity said.
Davies went on to describe herself as a “yo-yo dieter” and explained she had thought about losing weight before joining the BBC entrepreneurial show, and then decided she was “happy with how I look”.
Davies added: “I’m a big personality and I’m no different when I’m three dress sizes smaller – it really doesn’t bother me at all. What does bother me is the health side of it.”
She said she had dropped three dress sizes last year by “cutting out sugar”, and said she had stopped eating chocolate, cake and fruit, as well as cutting down her alcohol intake and stopping drinking fruit juice.
She explained that people want a “magic bullet” for weight loss, but pointed to “lifestyle changes” being better.
Davies joined Dragons’ Den in 2019, having previously hosted Local Television Limited’s Be Creative in 2015.
Along with her company Crafter’s Companion, she also created the Enveloper while studying at university, a tool which creates bespoke envelopes for handmade cards, she launched the product on the shopping channel Ideal World, selling 30,000 units within six months.
By the time she graduated, the Enveloper was turning over £500,000.
The full interview with Davies is available in the December 2024 issue of Prima, which is now on sale.
