Dragons’ Den stars love lives – £345m divorce, pre-nup regret and huge age gap

Even the mega rich Dragons Den entrepreneurs know you can't buy love and happiness.

After all, millions in the bank means precious little if you haven't got the perfect person to share it all with.

The course of true love hasn't always run smoothly for many of the stars of the hit BBC show.

One of them almost lost it all and was forced to live with his parents after things went very wrong, very quickly.

Another was forced to pay out a mind-blowing £345 million amid a messy divorce.

But for some it's been more simple – they have stayed with their childhood sweethearts and couldn't be happier. Let's take a closer look.

Duncan Bannatyne

A lot like many of the deals stuck in the Den, Duncan Bannatyne's love life has not exactly been straight forward.

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

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

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 field for divorce in the High Court.

“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 pre-nup as the divorce cost him £345million but said he had been truly in love.

His eldest daughter also has two kids, Ava and Austin, making Duncan a granddad.

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

Peter Jones

The only original Dragon still standing, Peter Jones came within hours of losing everything.

The towering tycoon was just 16-years-old when he set up his first business.

His estimated net worth of £500million makes him quite a catch.

When he joined the show way back in 2005, the Jessops money-maker was married to his first wife Caroline, who he married at the age of 21.

The couple had two kids together, Annabel and William, but they divorced in 2008 in messy circumstances.

But he lost almost everything when one of his clients went bust, including his house, car and marriage.

He even had to move back in with his parents.

But Peter rebuilt his business empire before meeting current partner Tara Capp, who is a successful interior designer in her own right.

The long-term couple are not married but have three teenage daughters, Natalie, Isabella and Tallulah.

Deborah Meaden

It's not often that Deborah Meaden doesn't get exactly what she wants.

While she was in her early 20s back in the summer of 1985, Deborah met her future husband Paul – and knew straight away that he was who she wanted to be with forever.

But as the fierce businesswoman knows, there is always a bump or two in the road along the way.

The couple split up due to the fact she didn’t want to start a family, but things changed when Deborah returned from a trip to Venezuela.

When she came back to London they got back together and got married in 1993.

Deborah and Paul do not have any children but they do have many pets in their 10-bed Somerset home.

They own six horses, five sheep, six ducks, three geese, 10 chickens, three pigs, three dogs and two cats.

At home, Paul is in charge of “domestic chores” and is a “fantastic cook”.

Tej Lalvani

So rich is the Dragons that he booked lavish pre-wedding reception and sit-down dinner at the Natural History Museum.

First walking into the Den for series 15, Tej Lalvani has already invested nearly £2million.

The Vitabiotics CEO, who has grown his scientist father’s business into the largest vitamin company in the UK, celebrated his 10th wedding anniversary this year.

The 46-year-old ’Prince of Vitamins’ tied the knot with wife Tara Ruby in a Sikh ceremony in London in August 2011.

For their honeymoon, the newlyweds flew around the world for week-long stays in Malaysia, Japan and the Maldives.

The couple, who don’t have any children together, are also business partners and run a successful London-based property investment company together.

While Tej has a stunning wife, he also comes from a good looking family himself, as is mother is a former Miss India and a Miss World runner-up.

Sara Davies

The newest Dragon in the Den, Sara Davies became the youngest ever when she joined in 2019 at the age of just 35.

Before founding her crafting company from her bedroom at university, Sara found love with her childhood sweetheart.

She has been married to husband Simon since 2007 and they have two children together named Oliver and Charlie.

She actually credits Simon with helping co-found her thriving company, Crafter’s Companion, which now turns over £34million a year.

The couple, who live in Teeside, don’t always agree on how to raise their kids.

"My husband Simon wants to give the kids the things we could not have – but I want them to have the experiences we did have,” she said on Loose Women.

Touker Suleyman

He may be one of the loudest Dragons, but Touker Suleyman doesn't like to shout about his love life.

He brought his 40 years' retail and manufacturing experience into the Den back in 2015.

The Cyprus-born Londoner has supplied clothes to some of the biggest names of the British high street.

Not much is known about the fashion business mogul’s persona life as he is a very private man.

The 67-year-old is not married but does have two daughters, Tashia and Taya.

He regularly posts snaps of his girls on Instagram – who are all grown up now and aged 22 and 18.

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