Which entrepreneur became a Dragon on the UK show in its third series?

Deborah Meaden became a Dragon on the UK show in its third series.

Meaden joined Dragon's Den in 2006, during the programme's third series. She is a businesswoman and investor whose background includes family businesses, leisure, retail and property. Her direct negotiation style quickly made her one of the programme's most recognisable investors.

She became particularly associated with backing businesses that had clear consumer appeal and practical routes to growth. As with every Dragon, an on-screen offer is not automatically the same as a completed investment: due diligence and later negotiations can change the final arrangement.

Meaden is sometimes confused with later female Dragons such as Kelly Hoppen, Sarah Willingham, Jenny Campbell or Sara Davies. Those investors joined in different periods. Meaden's defining historical detail is that she entered the regular panel in series three, not at the programme's launch.