Enter the Dragon: 'Hugely excited' Deborah Meaden waltzes from boardroom to the Strictly ballroom - but £25k fee won't make much impact on her £40m fortune
- Deborah Meaden signs up to appear on this year's Strictly Come Dancing
- Source says she was 'keen to try something totally out of her comfort zone'
- BBC presenter Susanna Reid and Countdown's Rachel Riley also on show
By SIMON BOYLE
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Dragon's Den tycoon Deborah Meaden is to swap the boardroom for the ballroom after signing up to appear on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
With an estimated wealth of about £40 million, Deborah’s signing will come as a major surprise for many fans, as the show is understood to pay fees of between £25,000 and £75,000, depending on how long each star remains in the competition.
But insiders say the businesswoman, who became a household name as one of the acid-tongued prospective investors on Dragons’ Den, is ‘hugely excited’.
Doing the business: Dragon's Den tycoon Deborah Meaden (centre) is to feature on this year's Strictly Come Dancing
The 54-year-old investor and leisure entrepreneur will join glamorous Countdown presenter Rachel Riley, 27, and BBC Breakfast host Susanna Reid, 42.
A source said: ‘There couldn’t be anything more dramatically different from Deborah’s serious corporate world than the glittery Strictly ballroom.
‘She has spent most of her working life wearing business suits and sitting in meetings – she was really keen to try something totally out of her comfort zone. Away from the Den she can be very relaxed and quite feminine, so it’ll be a great opportunity for her to show that side of herself. Clearly it’s not about the money for her – she just hopes it will be a great laugh.’
Line-up: Deborah will join BBC Breakfast host Susanna Reid (left) and glamorous Countdown presenter Rachel Riley (right) on the show
Other names lining up for this year’s series include broadcaster Vanessa Feltz, model Abbey Clancy, singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, and fashion designer Julien Macdonald.
Stars: Other names lining up for this year's series include model Abbey Clancy (pictured), broadcaster Vanessa Feltz and singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Natalie Gumede, who played Kirsty Soames in Coronation Street, former Bond Girl Fiona Fullerton, golf legend Tony Jacklin and rugby player Ben Cohen are also involved.
The line-up will be officially unveiled by the BBC tomorrow, before the show launches on Saturday night. It will then return three weeks later and go head-to-head with ITV rival the X Factor in what is set to be another bitter ratings war.
The two shows have been confirmed to overlap for ten minutes on their opening week, though this crossover may increase as the X Factor reaches its live stages. Last year, Strictly clawed ahead of the singing contest with more than 14 million viewers tuning in for the live final.
But ITV is also launching its own dancing competition on Saturday evenings, Stepping Out, hosted by Davina McCall with celebrity contestants and their partners – including ex-Westlife star Brian McFadden and interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. Executives hope the show will appeal to some of the BBC’s viewers and tempt them to the rival network.
Somerset-born Deborah started in business running an amusement arcade owned by her family. She later moved to manage an Exeter holiday park, making millions following a management buy-out and subsequent sale.
Since then she has invested in multiple successful businesses, including handing over more than £2 million of her own cash on Dragon’s Den.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2408127/Enter-Dragon-Hugely-excited-Deborah-Meaden-waltzes-boardroom-Strictly-ballroom--25k-fee-wont-make-impact-40m-fortune.html#ixzz2dawx7JE5
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