Deborah Meaden joined Dragons' Den as a Dragon in 2006, becoming the panel's longest-serving female investor.
Meaden is an English businesswoman and investor who became particularly associated with tourism, leisure and family businesses before joining the BBC programme. Her television role involves examining entrepreneurs' figures, testing their plans and deciding whether an investment merits the requested equity.
She joined after the first series and became a central figure in the show's later history. Other female Dragons have included Rachel Elnaugh, Kelly Hoppen, Hilary Devey and Sara Davies, but their periods on the panel began or ended at different times.
The wording refers to her service on the British programme, not to being its first female investor. Rachel Elnaugh holds that earlier distinction, so the two facts should not be confused.