Deborah Meaden joined the UK version of Dragon's Den in 2006 and became its longest-serving female investor.
Meaden entered the programme after building a business career in leisure, retail and property. Her investments and direct questioning made her one of the show's most recognisable Dragons, alongside investors such as Peter Jones and Duncan Bannatyne.
She has remained associated with the programme for many years, while several other female Dragons served shorter periods. Hilary Devey, Kelly Hoppen and Jenny Campbell all joined later and left after different tenures.
Meaden is also known for environmental campaigning and for presenting or contributing to other television and radio programmes. Her tenure is sometimes confused with that of Theo Paphitis, another early investor, but they are separate Dragons with different business backgrounds.