Steven Bartlett is hoping his success off the pitch will follow him on to it as he makes his Soccer Aid debut. The businessman and Dragons' Den star will join the World XI side on Sunday (June 12) as they take on a very different England team at the London Stadium
He'll join the likes of Usain Bolt - who will once again be captaining the team - as well as former Manchester United star Patrice Evra, Line of Duty's Martin Compson, and comedian Lee Mack as the team who will be hoping to win for the fourth year in a row. And a win in the 2022 game will push them ahead of the England team in the overall stakes.
But while the competitiveness will reach fever pitch, it is all for a good cause. Soccer Aid will again be raising money for UNICEF to help with its mission of providing vaccines, tackling malnutrition and protecting children in times of crisis, such as the conflict in Ukraine.
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So, what do we know about Steven? He is the founder and former CEO of social media marketing agency The Social Chain, which he set up from his bedroom in Manchester. After dropping out of school and Manchester Metropolitan University at 18, he went on to build The Social Chain and Media Chain, taking his company public aged 27, with a current market valuation of more than £300 million.
He left the business after six years to pursue other investment opportunities. Steven released his debut book - Happy Sexy Millionaire - in March 2021, and also hosts the popular podcast, Diary Of A CEO, with recent guests including Craig David, Jessie J, Matt Hancock and Molly-Mae Hague.
Back in January, Steven joined Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, and Sara Davies as the new investor on Dragons' Den. . He made history by becoming the youngest ever Dragon to appear on the show, 28 when it was filmed - now 29.
Away from the business world, Steven keeps his life very private. However, he did recently describe his relationship with his girlfriend Melanie Vaz Lopez as his 'greatest achievement' after refusing to date for 10 years. He met the influencer in 2016.
But he admitted that he never thought he'd find love and he even broke off his romance with Melanie before winning her back - by flying 22 hours to Bali in a desperate bid to get their relationship to work.
And as for why his on he World XI side, Steven was born in Botswana, southern Africa, before moving to Plymouth at the age of two.
Since its creation in 2006, Soccer Aid has raised more than £60 million for Unicef, which helps to provide aid to children worldwide. Soccer Aid for Unicef 2022 takes place on June 12 with coverage starting at 6.30pm on ITV with kick-off at 7.30pm.
