Which Dragon's Den investor was a former owner of La Senza before joining the show?

Theo Paphitis was a former owner of La Senza before joining Dragon's Den.

Paphitis built a reputation in retail and became associated with the lingerie chain La Senza, which he owned and expanded in the United Kingdom. That experience made him a prominent business figure before he appeared as an investor on the BBC programme.

He was part of the early Dragon's Den panel, bringing a retail-focused approach to pitches involving products, branding, shops and customer demand. Paphitis left the regular programme in 2012, after several series of evaluating entrepreneurs and negotiating potential equity deals.

La Senza is sometimes confused with other fashion brands connected with Paphitis, particularly because his wider business career included several retail interests. The important identification is the combination of the investor and the lingerie retailer: Theo Paphitis, rather than Peter Jones or Duncan Bannatyne, was the Dragon linked with La Senza ownership.