… including Dragons’ Den’s SARA DAVIES
THE ‘DRAGONS’ DEN’ STAR TELLS WHY THE JUDGES AREN’T THE ONLY ONES SHE’S HOPING TO IMPRESS
When Dragons’ Den star Sara Davies takes to the dancefloor for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, the judges won’t be the only ballroomsavvy critics in the studio scrutinising her every step.
The multimillionaire entrepreneur’s proud dad Frank tripped the light fantastic in quite a few competitions when he was young, even dancing for ballroom legend Len Goodman.
“He told me he did it to meet girls, but from the ages of ten to 16 he was really into it and danced at Blackpool and for Len,” reveals Sara, 37, who joins a celebrity line-up that includes actor Greg Wise, McFly frontman Tom Fletcher, presenter AJ Odudu and comedian Robert Webb for this year’s hotly awaited series.
With Covid-19 restrictions eased, the contestants are allowed two guests in the studio each week – and there was never any doubt in Sara’s family who was going first.
“Mum and Dad are mega fans of the show, so they’ll be there week one and you’ll spot my dad easily because he’ll be the one up out of his chair, Shirley Ballas-style, privately critiquing me,” says Durham-born Sara, who made her millions by establishing one of the country’s biggest and most profitable craft businesses, Crafter’s Companion – now a global phenomenon valued at over £60m.
‘For my dad, it’s all about the steps. He doesn’t get swept up in the sequins and the razzmatazz like my mum and I do; it’s all about the footwork’
FAMILY AFFAIR
“For him, it’s all about the steps. He doesn’t get swept up in the sequins and the razzmatazz like my mum and I do; the footwork is what it’s all about.
“When I joined Dragons’ Den [in 2019], I did actually say to my dad: ‘Aye, you never know, I might get asked to do Strictly,’ and he said: ‘I’m not sure you’d keep up with all the steps, kid. Ballroom you might be okay, but I’m not sure about the Latin,’” recalls Sara, whose Dragons’ Den co-star, fellow business guru Deborah Meaden, made a bid for the coveted Glitterball trophy in 2013. “So there’s a part of me that wants to prove him wrong!”
Devoted to her family, whom she credits for being where she is today, Sara lives in Teesside with her husband Simon, 41, and their sons Oliver, seven, and Charlie, four.
“Simon’s my rock in everything I do and my Strictly journey will be no different. So when I’m slumped in a heap sobbing because I’ve done 60 hours of dance practice and I’m so exhausted I can’t remember my own name, he’ll be the one picking me up, dusting me down and popping me on that train to London.”
The couple, who celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary this week – three days before the first Strictly show airs – met when Simon, then 19, was star player for the local cricket team and 15-yearold Sara was the scorer.
“He used to give me lifts to the away matches in his Nova, and it was only ever me and him in the car whilst the car behind had five strapping lads squeezed in it, shoulder to shoulder. It took me ages to twig he was wangling it so we could
‘I know Deborah loved every minute of the experience, so I’m hoping I’ll feel the same’
be alone. Then one day, he came into the score box and asked for my phone number,” recalls Sara, with a fond smile. They’ve been together ever since.
A winning team both at home and at work, the couple have grown Crafter’s Companion together. Sara began the company in her bedroom at university at the age of 21, having started out with one revolutionary product, the enveloper – for making handmade envelopes for handmade cards – which her dad helped to design. “Simon is CEO, I’m the front person, so while I’m flying all over the world for presentations and pitching, it’s Simon who’s running the engine room,” says Sara. “I sometimes feel guilty that I get all the glory, but Simon is very happy being in the background.”
In 2016, Simon and her parents joined Sara at Buckingham Palace when she was invested with her MBE for services to the economy by the Duke of Cambridge.
“I was hugely pregnant with my second son at the time. My friends had all
said to me: ‘ What if your waters break?’ But I thought: ‘I’ve read that if it happens in Asda, you get free nappies for life or something, so if they break at the Palace, just think – I’ll be headline news and have the best doctors by my side in a flash. I’ll take my chances, thank you very much,’” says Sara.
“I tottered up to Prince William with my 50lb bump, curtsied and he went: ‘Wow, that looks like it could be coming any day soon!’” Two days later, Charlie arrived.
SHINING A LIGHT
It’s obvious chatting to Sara that being a mum is a role she truly treasures. It is why she has become such a champion of the Bradley Lowery Foundation, a charity based in her beloved North-East, set up in honour of remarkable youngster Bradley Lowery, who raised over £1.3m before succumbing four years ago to neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of childhood cancer, at the age of six.
“Bradley’s mum came to me as one mother to another, hoping I could help shine a light on the foundation and the work they do,” says Sara. “They now help to support other families going through similar times, be it fundraising for treatment, organising breaks or end-of-life care. They’re amazing people and it’s a privilege to be asked to help.”
Her own boys, says Sara, “couldn’t give a monkey’s” about Mum’s new star turn on the Strictly dancefloor.
“I don’t think they’re over the disappointment that Dragons’ Den didn’t involve me dressing as a dragon or [having] a proper den,” she laughs. But it came as a huge relief when she was finally able to come clean and say she was doing Strictly. “I actually knew when we were filming the next series of Dragons’ Den, but was still sworn to secrecy,” Sara tells hello!. “So I was surreptitiously trying to get tips out of Deborah without her twigging.”
What is Sara hoping to get out of it? “Everyone keeps telling me: ‘ You’ll get so fit,’ so I’m excited about that,” she says.
“I’ve been running a lot during lockdown so I already feel fitter than I ever have in my adult life, but there’s always room for improvement and I still haven’t managed to shift this mum tum yet,” she adds, grabbing her belly. “I know Deborah loved every minute of the experience, so I’m hoping I’ll feel the same. And if I can make my dad proud by remembering all those steps, well, that will be fantastic.”
‘ I don’t think my boys are over the disappointment that Dragons’ Den didn’t involve me dressing as a dragon’