Sara davies: ‘I pushed myself to the limit on strictly’

The Dragons’ Den-dwelling craft queen talks leaky boobs and dodgy tattoos with Jordan Paramor

Sara Davies was amazing on Strictly Come Dancing, she’s amazing on Dragons’ Den, and now we can confirm that she’s amazing IRL, too. Despite being one of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs – with an estimated fortune of £37million – Sara couldn’t be more down to earth. She apologises profusely for being less than two minutes late because a call ran over, and talks to heat in the friendly, relaxed manner of someone we’ve known for years.

The 38 year old was invited to join the Dragons’ Den panel three years ago, after building her own business empire from scratch, which includes the mega-successful company Crafter’s Companion (she started it while studying at the University of York, and by the time she graduated, it was turning over £500,000 a year).

Not that surprisingly, Sara has shunned the lure of swanky London penthouses and still lives in her native Teesside with fellow businessman husband Simon and their two sons, Oliver, eight, and Charlie, five. Let’s find out some more about her…

You’ve got a book coming out. Tell us all…

You know, it’s funny because I sat down with my manager three years ago and we put a big chart up on the wall of what I wanted to achieve in my career. I’d just started on Dragons’ Den and I said my dreams would be to be on the front cover of a magazine, to write a book, and to go on Strictly. That was my wishlist. And now I’ve done all three.

How did the book come about?

Well, Strictly happened and then I got a random call out of the blue from my agency saying a book publisher had been in touch about me writing my autobiography. As soon as the offer came in, I was like, “Yes, this is my life’s ambition.”

Why did you want to do it so badly?

When I was in my early 20s, just after I started my business, I read Duncan Bannatyne’s autobiography Anyone Can Do It, and remember feeling overwhelmed by the fact that he was so normal. He wasn’t born with a silver