Deborah Meaden first joined the BBC programme Dragons' Den as a Dragon in series 3.
Meaden joined the panel in the third series, which aired in 2006. She became one of the programme's most recognisable investors, known for examining sales, margins, valuations and the practical route to scaling a business.
Before becoming a television Dragon, Meaden built a career in business and investment. She became particularly associated with the family holiday park company Weststar Holidays, later known as the Weststar group, and with investments across several sectors.
Viewers sometimes assume Meaden was part of the original 2005 panel because she is so strongly identified with the British series. She was not an original Dragon, however. Her first appearance came after the programme's launch and after Rachel Elnaugh had appeared on the early panel.