MY life through a lens
Celebrities share the stories behind their favourite photos. This week it’s Dragons’ Den’s Deborah Meaden, 62
1989 Gail’s My husband Paul had worked for Dad before wedding, so my family knew him before I did. We met while I was running bingo at Minehead Butlin’s. Our shared love of intrepid travel bonded us – here we are in the foothills of the Himalayas. I’m a very good bingo caller, but I didn’t do the ‘two little ducks 22’ and all that business, because you’re trying to turn over as many games as possible. Players would play six cards at once, knitting at the same time. They knew the numbers so well they didn’t need to pay attention. Those ladies would have made fantastic accountants.
2007 I was trying to get the four sisters together for a photo, but it became obvious Gail had no intention of getting her picture taken, and kept being unavailable. Cass, who’s sitting, works in PR, and Emma, who’s kneeling down, is a homemaker. There’s a decade’s age difference between me and them, so we weren’t at school together. When Gail and I were young we had no money, but by the time Cass came along my parents had built a successful life so the girls went to boarding school and enjoyed it, whereas I hated school with a vengeance.
1999 Dad I was seven when my mother married and he and my mum went on to have my younger sisters Cass and Emma. He came up with a brilliant idea for us to celebrate the Millennium in one of the oldest civilisations in the world, so we hired a boat for 40, and spent the Millennium evening in Egypt. Because of Agatha Christie’s Death On The Nile, we all dressed up in Twenties gear – that’s me, Dad, Emma and my mum. We visited the Valley of the Kings and sailed into Karnak for New Year’s Eve.
2013 I loved being on Strictly [pictured, with Natalie Gumede, Abbey Clancy and Susanna Reid] but it takes over your life. I spent that time being terrified, but I enjoy a challenge. If you’re not hurting, going from nothing to dancing 10 to 12 hours a day, you’re not trying hard enough! I lasted five weeks and was gutted not to go further. Paul wasn’t a ballroom enthusiast when I started, but now he dances four hours a week, and I do as much as I can.
1964 Sonia My mother was a single parent so when she was working at Butlin’s in Brightlingsea, Essex, my older sister Gail and I lived with a couple called Auntie Angela and Uncle Derek. We’re in their veg patch here (me on the left), probably eating all the beans and peas. Uncle Derek was a fisherman and we’d go winkling with him. I was only four, and he was 6ft – he seemed like a giant.
1985 had Gail and I are at my nephew’s baptism here. I’d just my first business failure. I’d borrowed money to import Italian ceramics and glassware, but the firms started selling directly to Harvey Nichols and Harrods. I was €3,500 in credit card debt, and borrowed from the bank to cover it. Mum and her second husband Brian – who I call Dad – had to guarantee the loan, which I hated. I like to be independent.
2006 wear This was taken when I first joined Dragons’ Den. We the same clothes throughout shooting, because the series is cut into episodes after it’s filmed. It’s our money at stake, so you quickly forget the cameras – if it wasn’t our money it wouldn’t be authentic. I love the ingenuity of entrepreneurs. Every year I think I’ve seen it all and every year they prove there are still plenty of opportunities to go for.
2017 I have an ever-changing number of horses, and at the moment I have six. It was only when I got my first ex-racehorse that had been cast out, that I started to think this must be happening all over the place, so I got involved in the RSPCA. I’ve been out with their inspectors to see what they do in the community and I was blown away. Sometimes they get into dangerous situations.