My son thought I’d be in a dragon outfit and sitting in a cave. He was so annoyed

In 2019, aged 35, Sara Davies MBE became the youngest Dragon in the Den. She’s married to Simon and is mum to Oliver, six, and Charlie, three The Last Word

In the Den are you very competitive with each other?

Yes. The other four Dragons were really well-known but nobody knew who I was. So if all five dragons pitch in for a business, I end up having to sell myself a little bit. The first time I did that I won the deal over Peter Jones. I remember walking off the set and feeling really smug – then thinking, ‘I hope he’s not annoyed with me’.

What do your kids make of seeing you on TV?

I’ve been on TV all of their lives on the shopping channels. But my six-year-old piped up the other day and said, ‘Mam, I’m sick of hearing about this Dragons’ Den. It’s not a proper den and there are no dragons. It’s a load of rubbish’. We had a party when my first episode aired and I think he was expecting me to be in a dragon outfit, sitting in a cave. He was so disappointed.

What are your all-time favourite programmes?

If I’m going for a box set I do like a bit of Kiefer Sutherland in 24. And I love winter, when Strictly starts. If my parents are round to visit they will say to me, ‘We’ve got to go now pet, so that we are home for the start’.

Would you like to go on Strictly like your fellow Dragon, Deborah Meaden?

I’d absolutely love to go on Strictly. My dad was actually a professional ballroom dancer when he was very young. We go to the tour most years as well. I get the tickets for either Father’s Day or for his birthday.

What else do you watch as a family?

Peppa Pig, PAW Patrol… and we have movie night. Oliver will shout, ‘We’re having a movie night. Come on Mammy, get your pyjamas on’. It’s nearly always a Disney film and he’ll want homemade cookies, so I’ll have to make them.

What do people say to you back home now that you are famous?

When I’m down in London I sort of see people stare at me but in the North East people will come up and say, ‘Eeh, we’re so proud of you. It’s so nice to see a local lass do well’. That probably seems surreal to anyone not from the North East. It’s like with Ant and Dec, we feel like a part of their story. I haven’t met them yet. I can only dream of such days. Watch Sara on Dragons’ Den , on Sunday, BBC Two, 9pm.