Dragons' Den star Sara Davies already considered her former Strictly partner Aljaž Škorjanec a “fairy godmother” to her own kids.
But the pro dancer had confessed that, sadly, he and wife Janette Manrara were struggling to conceive.
So when Aljaž video-called Sara and told her he was finally going to be a dad, his good pal was overjoyed.
Sara, 38, had been praying for good news for Aljaž – who she became close to while filming the 2021 series of Strictly – and It Takes Two host Janette.
She says: “He FaceTimed me and was like a little excitable puppy. As soon as I saw his eyes, I knew what it was going to be… then he cried.
“In the 18 months we’ve been friends, I’ve known how much he wanted kids. He was at that stage in his life where he was so desperate for a family.
“He’s like a fairy godmother to my boys – they idolise him. It’s been a long time in the making.”
Sara knows all too well the agonising journey her friends, who she regularly goes on holiday with, have been through.
In her mid-20s, after starting her hit company Crafter’s Companion while still at university in York – entrepreneur Sara was desperate to have a baby.
But happily, after she and husband Simon, 42 – who she has been with since she was 15 – stopped trying and she lost some weight, she soon conceived.
Now the couple are proud parents to sons Oliver, eight, and Charlie, five.
Sara became a household name when she joined the Dragon’s Den panel in 2019.
She rose to the top in the business world after her crafting supply company took off. It is now worth more than £35million and has earned her an MBE.
Taking part in Strictly and appearing on TV alongside fellow Dragons Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman and Steven Bartlett has raised Sara’s confidence to an all-time high.
She says: “Confidence is a choice – it’s a choice I make every day to be a really confident, outgoing, happy person.”
Sara is also comfortable opening up about her fluctuating weight.
She admits: “I’m terrible. When I was doing Strictly, I was really trim, and then I went on the tour and drank myself into oblivion for six weeks and lived like a student eating chips every night.
“I’ve never been a skinny person. For a lot of people, that could affect their
self-confidence but I won’t let it.
“I always choose clothes that are really bright and vibrant because I think they’re a positive reflection of my personality.”
With her straight-talking attitude and northern roots, Sara is deemed a vital asset by Dragons Den bosses. Some 4.3 million people tuned in to the most recent series – up 800,000 from last year.
BBC execs have already signed her up for a fifth year – making her the second longest-standing female dragon after Deborah.
Sara – who was born in Hartlepool and now lives in County Durham – admits: “The more time I spend in the chair, the more comfortable I am in my own skin.”
The entrepreneur credits her husband, who she married in 2007, as the backbone of her success.
She says: “We’re deeply, madly in love with each other and there’s a massive amount of respect.
“With Simon, we have role reversal. He’s the organised one. He keeps on top of all the school stuff and puts the uniforms out before bed. I do the nice stuff – the kisses and cuddles and telling the stories.”
Despite her hectic career – she has returned to the UK after catching three flights back from the US to make the school run – Sara won’t give in to “mum guilt”.
She admits: “My kids hate the fact I’m away travelling so much but there is no place for mum guilt – it eats you alive.
“I’ve been away from the kids this week and anybody else would feel horrifically guilty for that but actually, the kids have had a wonderful week. They’ve had more time with their grandparents and I’m going to spoil them all weekend and do loads of Easter crafts.”
And she reveals that, like Aljaž, she’s still broody and hasn’t 100% ruled out expanding her family just yet.
Sara says: “I would keep going and have more but I think it’d finish the grandparents off! They say you should have the same number of kids as you’ve got hands and we just about manage with the two.”
