Dragon Sara Davies sought secret hints from Deborah Meaden ahead of Strictly

Sara Davies has said she has been secretly looking to her Dragons’ Den co-star Deborah Meaden for tips ahead of her debut on Strictly Come Dancing.

The entrepreneur and TV star, 37, who will take to the dancefloor when the BBC1 show returns on Saturday, said she wanted helpful hints from previous contestant Meaden, but without letting on that she was going to be contestant.

Businesswoman Meaden took part in Strictly in 2013, when she was paired with Robin Windsor.

Davies told Hello! magazine: “I actually knew (I was joining Strictly) when we were filming the next series of Dragons’ Den, but was still sworn to secrecy.

“So I was surreptitiously trying to get tips out of Deborah without her twigging. I know Deborah loved every minute of the experience, so I’m hoping I’ll feel the same.”

Davies is the founder of global company Crafter’s Companion, which specialises in craft tools.

She founded the company while she was a student at university in 2005 and it now employs almost 250 people worldwide.

She joined the cast of Dragons’ Den, in which entrepreneurs get three minutes to pitch their business ideas to tycoons willing to invest their own money, in 2019, replacing Jenny Campbell.

Davies said she will be leaning on husband Simon while she takes part in gruelling rehearsals on the dancefloor, saying: “Simon’s my rock in everything I do and my Strictly journey will be no different.

“So when I’m slumped in a heap sobbing because I’ve done 60 hours of dance practice and I’m so exhausted I can’t remember my own name, he’ll be the one picking me up, dusting me down and popping me on that train to London.”

Davies also revealed she will be following in the footsteps of her father, Frank, as he was a keen dancer who once performed for former Strictly head judge Len Goodman.

She said: “He told me he did it to meet girls, but from the ages of 10 to 16 he was really into it and danced at Blackpool and for Len.

“Mum and Dad are mega fans of the show, so they’ll be there week one and you’ll spot my dad easily because he’ll be the one up out of his chair, Shirley Ballas-style, privately critiquing me.”

The full interview is in Hello!, out now.