Secret Millionaire Piers Linney joins Dragons' Den | Radio Times Twitter Secret Millionaire Piers Linney joins Dragons' Den The cloud computing entrepreneur aims to "widen the appeal of the Den" as he replaces former investor Theo Paphitis Comments Paul Jones 10:25 AM, 11 March 2013 Aspiring entrepreneurs beware: the Den has a full complement of Dragons once more. Piers Linney, a former benefactor on Channel 4's reality series The Secret Millionaire, will fill the final chair vacated by Theo Paphitis, following the announcement last month that designer Kelly Hoppen is to replace Hilary Devey. The pair will join the BBC2 business show's existing investors, Duncan Bannatyne, Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden, when it returns later in the year. Linney is a founder member of cloud computing company Outsourcery. Formed in 2007, it provides businesses with “cloud” or hosted access to software via the internet, in partnership with companies such as Microsoft. It was the UK’s first carbon-neutral cloud-based business and has been recognised for its green credentials.

Linney, who has also worked as a solicitor and an investment banker, is named in The Power List, a compendium of the 100 most influential black Britons. He said he was "excited" to be joining the programme and would "widen the appeal of the Den to information economy entrepreneurs," who he called "key to the future success of the UK economy." Dragons Den executive producer Ceri Aston said Linney was "a new breed of dragon. A young and dynamic digital entrepreneur, he has his finger on the pulse of an industry that has never been represented in the Den before." Like this? Share it. Dragon's Den's Kelly Hoppen joined by Piers Linney at BAFTA TV Nominees Party | Daily Mail Online comments She’s in the mix for a BAFTA TV Award courtesy of constructed reality show Dragon’s Den – and she led the glamour on Thursday evening as a pre-event Nominees Party got underway in London. Indeed, interior designer Kelly Hoppen caught the eye as she sashayed into the capital’s Corinthia Hotel for the event, which acts as precursor to the annual awards show.

The 54-year-old opted for a smart red evening dress with a sleeveless detail and loose fitting, below the knee cut. Stylish: Dragon's Den star Kelly Hoppen arrives at the BAFTA TV and Craft Nominees Party in London on Thursday Kelly matched her ensemble with a pair of conventional grey heels, while a subtle handbag – also grey rounded off an understated by equally stylish look for the businesswoman. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share She was joined on the night by fellow Dragon Piers Linney – the CEO of IT business Outsourcery whose previous TV credits include an appearance on Channel 4 show The Secret Millionaire. The 43-year-old looked dapper in a smart blue suit as he posed for photos alongside his co-star before they made their inside for drinks.

Evening out: Kelly later headed out with her Dragons' Den co-stars after the event Hot stuff: Kelly headed to the the Firehouse in London looking as glamorous as ever A rose between two thorns: Kelly enjoyed an evening out with her co-stars Piers Linney (left) and Duncan Bannatyne (right) Side by side: Kelly was joined by fellow Dragon Piers Linney No messing: Duncan Bannatyne makes an appearance at the Corinthia Hotel on Thursday evening (L) while comedian and actor Stephen Mangan was also in attendance (R) Kelly and Piers were joined by long-serving Dragon Duncan Ballatyne – and the straight talking Scot was in high spirits shortly after arriving at the smart Whitehall Place address. Comedian and actor Stephen Mangan – best known for his roles in Green Wing and Episodes – was also on hand to usher in this year’s ceremony, which takes place on Sunday. The BAFTA Television Awards 2014 will see The Fall star Jamie Dornan battle it out with Dominic West, Sean Harris and Luke Newberry in the category for Leading Actor.

The Leading Actress category includes Helena Bonham Carter who wins a nomination for her role as Elizabeth Taylor in Burton and Taylor, Olivia Colman, Kerrie Hayes and Maxine Peake. As expected, Broadchurch features prominently in the category for best Drama Series, in which it competes with My Mad Fat Diary, Top of the Lake and The Village. Party time: Piers and Kelly pose for photos before making their way inside Home time: Kelly later headed home after what appeared to be a thoroughly enjoyable evening Dragons' Den, BBC Two, review - Telegraph TV and Radio Dragons' Den, BBC Two, review Ben Lawrence reviews the first episode of the 11th series of Dragons' Den, in which two new Dragons - Kelly Hoppen and Piers Linney - joined the team. 2 Pitching for investment doesn't have to be scary - you just need to be well prepared Photo: BBC By Ben Lawrence 9:02PM BST 11 Aug 2013 Dragons’ Den (BBC Two, Sunday) started its eleventh series and I have to admit that I’ve avoided the previous 10. A reason to watch, I am told, was to see the two new Dragons in action.

Piers Linney has made a fortune through cloud computing. He also looked rather pleased with himself. When he secured a business deal for a new tanning lotion he shouted “Ye-e-es”, shaking his fist like a 10-year-old boy who has just got to the next level of Grand Theft Auto V. He also, rather too proudly, revealed his taste in management speak. “In my company we have an expression: ‘when an elephant sits down you’ve got to get out of the way.’” Everyone else in the room looked bemused. The other new Dragon is “interior design guru” Kelly Hoppen . She has a rather wonderful mane of curly blonde hair and terrifying blue eyes that could pierce through the walls of a Soviet prison. I can see why they’ve brought her in to the show. While the others spoke of equity share and overhead costs, Hoppen was all about the brand. Fixing the inventor of a luxury picnic hamper with a hard stare, she told her: “You want to hire a PR company, get yourself into Tatler and then the best thing you can do is hire a space in Maison et Objet in Paris. You want to create theatre.” So that’s easy then.

Some of the stories behind the pitches were rather affecting, such as the eccentric couple who had ploughed their savings into inventing a hideously unwieldy construction toy called Bizzi Bitz. There was also the case of Ross Mendham who made a terrible hash of his pitch for protein noodles and won round the judges who saw potential behind the sweaty palms and the tear-stained face. But the theatrical sense of jeopardy that pervades the show was wearisome and poor old presenter Evan Davis was given some shocking lines: “From burgers to burritos and salads to sushi, fast food is big business.” After being forced to spout such drivel, the bear pit of the Today programme must seem rather inviting.

Related Articles 'Dragon's Den Episode 1 Review - Kelly Hoppen Joins Duncan Bannatyne And Co, And Proves A Natural Fit | The Huffington Post Advertisement ENTERTAINMENT 'Dragon's Den Episode 1 Review - Kelly Hoppen Joins Duncan Bannatyne And Co, And Proves A Natural Fit 12/08/2013 08:20 | Updated 12 August 2013 Caroline Frost Entertainment Editor, Huffington Post UK The return of 'Dragon's Den' for its eleventh - yes, I know! - series saw a pair of new dragons brought into the cave to join the familiar faces of Duncan Bannatyne, Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden - the question was, how would they fit? The answer was, seamlessly. Piers Linney is a 'cloud computing whizz' - apparently these three words in this order mean a lot of value to someone. "What do I bring? Youff!" he bellowed, and smirked and puckered in all the right places. The BBC have made a sound investment with this one.

Kelly Hoppen (left) and Piers Linney (right) join the Dragons in their Den for the 11th series As for Kelly Hoppen, I'm surprised she isn't running the show single-handedly yet. Within ten minutes of her debut, the 'global brand interior designer' had frowned, raised her eyebrows, interrogated, poo-pooed, even volunteered to cook some noodles. And then came the advice. She told two Aussie ex-pats pitching a fake tan, "I could help you by wearing it myself." For Clare's royal picnic hamper as endorsed by the Saudi royal family no less, "Get yourself into Tatler," decried Kelly. When a husband and wife team turned up inexplicably pitching some Lego that wasn't Lego, Kelly had it covered, "A stall on the Columbia Road, that's what you need." I'm predicting a spin-off show in the near future… "What I Would Do Is…" created, directed, produced by Kelly Hoppen. Or just 'What Kelly Did (And You Should Too)'. There. Sorted.

Kelly Hoppen - a natural fit Without the backstories of all 'The Apprentice' candidates, nor the car crash element of elimination provided by that show, 'Dragon's Den' leaves us with a lot resting on how much we care whether each person pitching gets his or her money, based on our four minutes' knowledge of them. And our interest in the product. Fake tan cream, advertised by a trio of bouncing bikinied bunnies doing their version of the All Blacks' Haka - what's not to love, even if the middle one looked like 'a Lucozade lozenge'? £199 on a faintly pervy-looking long hot water bottle, named after its maker, on the other hand... "Totally egotistical, totally about you, and wrong," decided Peter Jones. Ross - tearful, but triumphant The biggest test for the Dragons came with Ross, asking for £60k to invest in his gluten-free noodles. Except they weren't gluten-free. But it turned out they were. But the figures were all wrong. And Ross's poor wife had lost a baby.

Oh dear, by now Ross was in tears, the dragons were looking uncomfortable, and even Kelly Hoppen had no recommendations for this one. Instead, it took an old dragon to puff some compassion into the proceedings, with Peter Jones giving this downbeaten dog a spanking great bone of an offer "for this business we're going to make… together". The look on Ross's face was the price of admission alone, before he slammed into Peter Jones' arms and an awkward armpit hug ensued. Who said dragons didn't have a heart?

Dragon's Den: Piers Linney and Kelly Hoppen join Debra Meaden, Duncan Bannatyne and Peter Jones in the return of the entrepreneurial competition | Unreality TV Sci-Fi Home Factual Dragon’s Den: Piers Linney and Kelly Hoppen join Debra Meaden, Duncan Bannatyne and Peter Jones in the return of the entrepreneurial competition Dragon’s Den: Piers Linney and Kelly Hoppen join Debra Meaden, Duncan Bannatyne and Peter Jones in the return of the entrepreneurial competition 11th August 2013 by Matt D It’s hard to believe that entrepreneurial series Dragon’s Den has been going for eight years and starts its eleventh series tonight. Since last year there have been several changes afoot with Hilary Devey deciding to leave the show after two series to pursue other ventures which including the plain awful Channel 4 series The Intern. More surprising was the news that Theo Paphitis was also departing as he’d been on the show since series two, maybe he’d just run out of money to invest.

So, for the first time since series three, we are introduced to two new dragons in the form of Cloud Computing entrepreneur Piers Linney and Interior Design expert Kelly Hoppen. The other change to this year’s series is that the contestants come up in a lift, allowing us to hear their thoughts after they’ve finished the pitch. The first group to bundle themselves into the lift are Louise Ferguson, Kate Cotton and three bikini-clad lovelies. The ladies are on hand to demonstrate Louise and Kate’s ‘Skinny Tan’, a combination of fake tan and cellulite cream that has already proved popular in Australia. Kate and Louise now hope to launch the brand in the UK and have come to asks the dragons for a £60,000 investment for a 5% stake in their business. Peter Jones was a little worried how strong the tan was when he described one of the girls as looking like a Lucozade lozenge but later turned around when he’d realised that the pair had already made a profit close to £450,000 in Australia.

However, Kelly worried that they were bringing their product into an already over-crowded UK market and Deborah Meaden agreed that they should perhaps try to make a lot more money in Australia. But any fears about loss of an investment were relieved when it was revealed that the dragons would be investing in the already successful Australian arm of the business. After this news the offers came flying in with Peter offering all of the money for a 20% stake in the business while Debra undercut is offer by asking for 15%. Duncan Bannatyne then told the girls 5% didn’t excite him and so they offered him 10% of the Australian company plus 25% of the new British company. The new dragons then gave identical offers by saying they’d take 10% of the overall product before Piers suggested that he and Kelly invest together. As increasingly confusing offers were made they decided to consult their business partner who, after hearing what some of the Dragons could offer them, decided that the girls should take Kelly and Piers up on their offer. Though it was probably the most reasonable offer, I found it a bit convenient that the two new dragons were the first to bag an investment.

Next up were a couple who spend all of their time at home playing with toys. That’s because Rachel and Alter Fogle have created a new brand children’s construction toy entitled – Busy Bits. It becomes apparent from the start that Rachel is definitely the spokesperson for the product and Alter is simply the eccentric inventor of the toy. Rachel was also quick to point out that their product differed vastly from Lego in that you can create a lot more shapes with Busy Bits than you can with the market leader. Though the majority of the Dragons praised the product, they couldn’t understand why the couple hadn’t tried to sell all of the stock they had before coming on the show. Duncan shot down the response that they wanted to garner feedback as he felt that the feedback could either be positive or negative. The Dragons later were shocked when Rachel revealed that they’d already plunged £130,000 into the product and had still seen no real return. As they realised that it wasn’t a viable investment, the Dragons began to pull out with Duncan suggesting that they stop spending their money on the product as they’ll end up with nothing.

However, Debra disagreed and urged them to keep doing what they were doing though she, like the rest of her colleagues, ultimately declared herself out. The third entrepreneurs to enter the den were Tayub Mushtaq and Afnan Bashir who wanted £500,000 for an 11% stake in their fast food business Wrap it Up. Their fast food outlets differed from other wrap brands in that a customer could order authentic street food from a number of different countries, all of which came in the form of a wrap. Debra seemed impressed by their business and told them she believed that wraps would be the next big thing in the fast food industry. Duncan and Peter also found it refreshing with the ease that Tayub was able to recite the company’s profits, something a lot of the pitchers in the den have failed to accomplish. However, Peter later expressed concerns for Tayub’s health as he later admitted that, until recently; he ploughed all of his energy into the business and had become quite ill. Meanwhile, Kelly felt that the branding of the product needed a lot of work and this was something that both felt could be improved.

Where Tayub and Afnan fell down was in the valuation of their business and the fact that they wanted half a million for such a small stake of Wrap it Up. Duncan, Debra and Piers all put out because of that reason with Piers describing their valuation as bonkers. Kelly’s reason for not investing came down to the fact that she wasn’t wowed and finally Peter told the boys they should’ve come in at a realistic level because, if they had done, then he definitely would’ve worked with them. I definitely felt it was a shame for Tayub and Afnan as their product was one of the most enticing but at the same time I can absolutely see where the Dragons were coming from. The final entrepreneur to enter the den was former personal trainer Ross Mendham, who had developed a brand of noodles he described as ‘Barenaked Noodles.’ Ross delivered a fairly nervous pitch in which Kelly helped him cook the noodles, a process that took longer than expected. Though Ross claimed that his noodles were Gluten Free, Kelly begged to differ as she suffered from a Gluten allergy and was reluctant to test the product as her fingers would swell up as a result.

Both the female Dragons were obsessed by this gluten free claim and it was ultimately the reason that both pulled out as they felt Ross didn’t know his product. Meanwhile, Piers wanted to quiz Ross about what he needed the money for and his list included a new warehouse, additional stock and most importantly product development. However, the mood got a lot more emotional when Duncan probed Ross about his personal life and he broke down in tears. As he went off into the lift to have a sob, the Dragons worried that he wouldn’t return but he did eventually come back. He later revealed that the reason for his anguish was that his wife, who was supporting him in the business, had recently had a third miscarriage. Peter realised it was quite an emotional moment but at the same time told him that the den wasn’t a place where somebody could be swayed by emotions. Despite this, Peter was willing to give Ross the £30,000 he’d asked for but wanted half of the business as he felt they could create something marvellous together. Both Piers and Duncan also offered the full amount of money however it seemed that they’d go in together and take 25% each.

Eventually, Ross decided to go with Peter, which I felt was the right call as he does have a little bit of experience when it comes to backing food products in the den. After having looked at Ross’ website, it’s clear that there are happier times ahead as it seems that his wife is now expecting her first child. I recently read an interview with new Dragon Piers Linney in which he claimed that he and Kelly’s arrival on the show had meant the programme had really freshened up. I personally beg to differ as I didn’t felt there was much of a change, bar the new lift concept which I wasn’t a big fan off. Indeed, I thought that Hilary Devey made much more of an impact on her debut than either Piers or Kelly did tonight. My initial assessment of the pair would be that Kelly is fairly blunt and has a good eye for product design while Piers is the cocky, young one who tries to undermine the more senior members of the den. Neither displayed as much personality as Hilary and Theo did and at the moment I don’t feel there’s much chemistry between the new Dragons and the existing trio of Duncan, Debra and Peter.

The episode itself was good enough however there wasn’t one product that really blew me away and I also felt that ‘Wrap it Up’ was possibly the best product on offer here. Overall I feel it was a shaky start for both Piers and Kelly but, at the same time, I can see potential in both. What did you think to tonight’s instalment of Dragon’s Den. What do you think about the new Dragons? Leave Your Comments Below. PIERS LINNEY INTERVIEW: Dragon floating on a cloud of innovation | This is Money comments Piers Linney is still adjusting to his celebrity status as one of two new panel members grilling nervous entrepreneurs on the TV programme Dragons’ Den. Until he appeared last year, along with his fellow new dragon, interior design guru Kelly Hoppen, neither he nor his cloud computing business, Outsourcery, had attracted much attention outside the baffling world of the techies. ‘I am now stopped on the street, people do recognise me,’ he says.

‘But I am not at the Tom Cruise level yet.’ Den's new boy: Piers Linney He did Dragon’s Den ‘because I was asked’ and because ‘I was with Sir Richard Branson on his game reserve in Africa, and he said: “Screw it, let’s do it”. Well he would say that - it is the title of his book.’ The Den, which airs on Sunday, was not Linney’s debut on television: he had already appeared on Channel 4’s Secret Millionaire series, posing as a volunteer for nine days at a young offenders’ institution in Wolverhampton. ‘One of the boys from prison works for us now. We got him out of prison, trained him up and he’s doing great.’ He says this series, the 12th, will be ‘even better’ than previous ones ‘because you will see us get involved with software companies and you haven’t seen much of that in the Den’. In the last series Linney and Hoppen invested £60,000 for a 10 per cent stake in Skinny Tan, a business making self-tanning products which, it’s claimed, also reduce cellulite.

‘It is real money, your own money,’ says Linney, who says he has invested around ‘half a million’ in total. ‘I am worth enough not to have to work if I don’t want to, but I am not a billionaire. I am investing because I think I will get out two or three times what I put in.’ Linney grew up in the Lancashire mill town of Bacup with his father, a ‘Mancunian working-class lad who went to Cambridge’ and his mother, a nurse who came to the UK from Barbados in the early 1960s. Stay at school, don't start your own firm, says TV Dragon Piers Linney The young Piers and his brother were the only mixed-race children in the community, ‘which was interesting, as you can imagine, but we just got on with it.’ These days, Linney counts as one of Powerlist’s 100 most influential black Britons, but he did not get off to a promising start. He landed himself in hot water with his mother by failing his 11-plus – ‘I felt like I had failure tattooed on my forehead’ – but his entrepreneurial streak soon came through.

Instead of doing a paper round for a newsagent, he worked out he could make more money by cutting out the middle-man and buying the Sunday papers direct from the wholesaler. By his mid-teens, he was doing door-to-door sales. But after his degree at Manchester University he struggled to get a start. ‘I made 68 applications to London law firms, and only one, SJ Berwin, gave me a chance. To get into the room is quite tricky from my background, but once I have got in the room I am fine.’ From there, he went into investment banking at Barclays and Credit Suisse. ‘When the internet came along, I saw it as a gold rush, so I had to get involved. I took my bonus in 2000 and walked out the door to set up on my own. My friends and family thought I was bananas.’ Linney was involved in a string of ventures until, in 2007, he and friend and former colleague Simon Newton bought a mobile phone re-seller from Dixons that was to become Outsourcery. The company is a ‘cloud expert’ – which the computer-illiterate might think was something to do with meteorology.

In fact, it is trying to cash in on the trend for companies to operate their IT and communications over the internet, rather than on their premises. Linney likens it to the shift that took place in electricity. ‘In the early days, each household had to have its own generator. Then they built power-stations to serve lots of homes and businesses. We are the equivalent of the power station.’ ‘Most people will use cloud computing, you just don’t know you are doing it. Your iPhone back-up is in the cloud, for example.’ Despite the name, cloud computing is not ethereal, but relies on large, fortress-like physical data centres. ‘We have several. They need to be very physically robust, so it cannot flood, it has back-up power, and no one can break in. Once you get in the building there is a caged area, with retinal scanners, and thumbprints. Then you have networks, passwords and so on.’ All very interesting, but what about the financials? As with most businesses in the tech sector, investors have to judge whether Outsourcery will reach the skies, or just vanish.

The firm, with 125 staff, floated on the junior AIM market last year at a price of 110p and is currently trading well below that at 31.5p. It ran up losses of £8.8million in 2013, compared with £10million the previous year, but revenues were up 44 per cent to £5.2million. Linney has also invested more than £4million in a project to migrate government data to the cloud. Outsourcery is working with Microsoft and Dell to build a secure platform, with all data to be kept on UK soil – a government requirement. ‘We will be the first Microsoft-validated partner to build a cloud platform for the Government,’ he says. ‘The City does not quite grasp the scale of the opportunity.’ Outsourcery has also secured partnerships with names such as Vodafone and Virgin Media Business, and counts the London Business School, Pearson and the BBC as customers. ‘There is no profit yet. Our business is a fine balance between making money and a land grab.’ ‘Trying to explain what we do and the scale of opportunity to a generalist investor is very difficult.

There is an obsession with what month next year are you going to be profitable. That is right, but you also have to think about grabbing the land that will give you a much bigger and more valuable business in future. In America, they get that you need to secure the beach-head.’ As if there were not enough ups and downs in his business life, Linney’s hobby is mountain biking. ‘We don’t do golf for our corporate day out, we go mountain biking. I scream down.’ Not that there is much time for leisure. On a typical day, he wakes up about 6.30am, visits a personal trainer three days a week, and is in the office from around 8.30am until 7pm. His wife of ten years, Tara – also an entrepreneur who runs a dance school – and daughters Tiger, 6, and Electra, 3, are used to him working seven days a week. He does not have time to sit on the boards of Dragons’ Den companies, but likes to be closely involved. ‘I am there if they need me as a sounding board, and I can open doors. I am also an entrepreneur doing it myself.

I am still on an entrepreneurial journey, just a bit further down the road than some of those who come on the programme.’ Investors will hope there are not too many potholes ahead. I can’t spell but I’m as bright as they come – The Sun KELLY HOPPEN is making her mark as the new Dragon in the Den – by banning junk food and bringing two personal trainers on set with her. The interior design diva is ringing the changes as she joins Duncan Bannatyne, Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden and fellow newbie Piers Linney on the BBC2 show. Speaking on the revamped set in Manchester, Kelly revealed that health club mogul Duncan was her first convert when she put him on her daughter chef Natasha Corrett’s Honestly Healthy diet — after telling him her pal Victoria Beckham was a fan. She said: “My daughter created a cookbook based on the alkaline diet and I put Duncan on it. Victoria swears by it. “On set, the runners are putting chocolates and nuts and c**p out all day so I said, ‘I want Honestly Healthy meals delivered.

Does anybody else want it?’ “Then my trainer would organise to have grilled fish or chicken or whatever sent from the hotel and I started to move the chocs out of the way and put the healthy snacks out.” Thanks to Kelly’s changes, Duncan, has already lost weight and the diet is a hit with the other Dragons too. She said: “Duncan was just very open and said, ‘Look, I am in the gym every morning — will you just tell me what to eat? And I guess he just felt better doing it. So it was really as simple as that. He cut out pizza and pasta and has lost a stone.” Kelly’s health kick doesn’t end there — she also has a couple of trainers with her. And she reckons having her fitness team on the set helps her to make better business decisions as well as keep in great shape. Kelly — who replaces haulage boss Hilary Devey as a Dragon — said: “I had to bring my personal trainers with me. “Exercise is like a form of meditation for me. I am doing it at 6am on set here. You need to pump your body to get the blood going. “I am very muscly at the moment.

I have trainers and they work really well together. “I do a mix of pilates and cardio and boxing and running and very heavy weights. I have Efua Baker, — who is musician Jazzie B’s wife, a body sculptor — and Sian Toal.” In the past, glamorous Kelly has tried Botox to help retain her youthfulness but has since turned her back on it. She said: “I have had Botox but the thought of it fills me with horror. I would never pull my face back and go under the knife but I might have my eyes lasered so I can see properly. “I don’t believe in dieting. I believe in a healthy way of life and it’s the lifestyle that I choose.” But Kelly, who has been a businesswoman since the age of 16, insists she didn’t join the BBC show — which returns next month — to fly the flag for glamorous middle-aged women. She said: “No. It never crossed my mind that it would be the role I’d be playing in Dragons’ Den. I am who I am. I’m proud of being 53 and I’ve always been healthy and looked after myself. “If that in any way gives people inspiration, great.

But I’m not there for that reason, I’m there because I’m an entrepreneur and I love business. “I want lip gloss on while I’m on air, but otherwise, no.” Being part of Dragons’ Den is a dream job for Kelly and she doesn’t shy away from making investments in the new series — but she’s no soft touch. She said: “I love talking to entrepreneurs and I love looking at businesses and seeing if I can turn them around and make them work. If I don’t see something I like, I won’t invest in it — I am a businesswoman.” Kelly’s had huge success and it is even rumoured she has designed a nursery for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s first child which is due any day now. But Kelly’s not keen to divulge too much about her blue-blooded pals. She said: “I never talk about my clients, never have. “It was a choice I made at 16 and quite a smart one and it hasn’t stopped me getting work. “But I have met Prince Charles through my work as an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust and I have met a lot of royals over the years. But Charles doesn’t call me up.

He has a whole team of people.” As an interior designer, Kelly has enjoyed huge success despite struggling with dyslexia, which she was only diagnosed with as an adult. But while reading, writing and arithmetic are sometimes tricky, Kelly insists that she is smart cookie. She said: “Having the dyslexic brain I have, I can’t always work it. I can’t spell properly and my numerical dyslexia is not good at all but you push ahead.” She added: “I only discovered I was dyslexic when I had my daughter tested.” Running a business empire means Kelly can rely on her staff to do the sums for her. She said: “I have accountants and a whole team of people to do figures and stuff but it is more the spelling that is difficult and being able to copy something from a piece of paper to a computer. There are different types of dyslexia. “A lot of very creative people and a lot of entrepreneurs like Richard Branson and Jamie Oliver have it.” Kelly is open about her learning difficulties — which Duncan also suffers — but warns fans of the show that her business sense is razor-sharp. She warned: “I am bright as they come so don’t be fooled.

“I might not be able to spell your name but I am nobody’s fool.” Dragons' Den reveals new panel, including Moonpig creator Dragons' Den reveals new panel, including Moonpig creator Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden will be joined by three new faces on the 13th series.

Don't Miss Share 5 hours ago 10:55 AM Share April 15 2016 12:46 PM Share December 28 2015 11:34 AM December 20 2015 3:04 PM Latest News Share 1 hour ago 5:32 PM Share 7 minutes ago 4:13 PM Share 25 minutes ago 3:54 PM 49 minutes ago 3:31 PM Must Read Share 4 hours ago 12:00 PM Share 18 hours ago 10:14 PM Share 59 minutes ago 3:21 PM Share 17 hours ago 10:57 PM 17 March 2015 8:14 PM Shares BBC Two has revealed the three new Dragons who will join Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden on Dragons' Den. Duncan Bannatyne, Kelly Hoppen and Piers Linney quit their roles at the end of the 12th series, which concluded on Sunday (March 15) night.

© Rex Features Ken McKay Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Moonpig.com creator Nick Jenkins, global clothing manufacturer and serial retail entrepreneur Touker Suleyman, and global restaurant entrepreneur Sarah Willingham will begin filming on the 13th series next week. "I have always preferred the start-up stage to running a larger mature business. It is a more exhilarating journey and requires instinctive, fast decision-making," Jenkins said. "There is often not much information to analyse and the risk of failure is ever present. "Today's technology means that it is possible for a business to succeed or fail much faster than ever before. I am very excited about joining Dragons' Den and using my experience to back some great new businesses and help them through the turbulent first years." © Rex Features Alice Hepple/City AM Suleyman, owner of fashion brands Hawes & Curtis and Ghost, described the position as a "privilege", adding that he is a "long-standing fan of the show". "I know precisely what it takes to become a business success and I will certainly draw upon my own experiences when considering whether to invest. I can't wait to get started and look forward to initiating new business partnerships over the coming months," he said.

Willingham, former owner of the Bombay Bicycle Club restaurant chain, spoke of her excitement at meeting "brilliant people with brilliant businesses to invest in and support". Kim Shillinglaw, Controller of BBC Two and BBC Four, said: "I'm delighted that Dragons' Den is back to inspire and surprise BBC Two viewers for another series and it's wonderful to welcome such an impressive line-up of new Dragons - together they'll bring an exciting new dynamic to the show as they turn up the heat on the prospective entrepreneurs brave enough to enter the Den." Dragons' Den will return to BBC Two with its new line-up later in the year. Michelle Mone 'to join Dragons' Den' after Duncan Bannatyne and Kelly Hoppen's exit | Daily Mail Online comments Michelle Mone is set to star in the series of Dragons' Den. The lingerie tycoon will reportedly step into one of three empty seats on the panel left by Kelly Hoppen, Piers Linney and Duncan ­Bannatyne. A show source has said the timing has finally been right for Mone to join the BBC business programme. She's in!

Michelle Mone to join the panel on Dragons' Den A source told the Sunday People: 'It's never been the right time for Michelle to join Dragons' Den, she's always had too much going on to devote her full attention to the show. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share 'But now she feels it's the right time to finally say yes to the role. The news is music to BBC bosses ears. 'They are desperate to bring on board a big name like Michelle.' Bye bye: There are three empty seats on the panel left by Kelly Hoppen, Piers Linney and Duncan ­Bannatyne. More money to invest: Michelle has recently sold 80 per cent of her stake in Ultimo lingerie Michelle has recently sold 80 per cent of her stake in Ultimo lingerie, the brand that she founded, meaning she has a lot of money to invest in the budding entrepreneurs of the next series.

Last year, the Scottish businesswoman had said she'd 'never say never' to joining the show, and even joked last year 'everyone already calls me a Dragon!' The BBC are said to be happy that on the sixth offer to join she has said yes, though an official spokesman has said no they have 'nothing to announce at the moment'. Former Dragon Hilary Devey said that she didn't make much money from the BBC for starring in the show. '[We earn] a pittance,' the entrepreneur told the Daily Telegraph. 'I can’t remember precisely but it’s something like £15,000 to do 12 episodes – and each episode means a 14/15-hour day. 'It doesn’t even cover your expenses. You make your money out of what you invest in.'

Question: Kelly Hoppen and Piers Linney were the new faces in series 11 of what TV programme?
Answer: Dragons Den