Dragons' Den star Deborah Meaden has built up an enormous business empire - and one man has been by her side the entire time.
The 62-year-old is a staple on the show but wasn’t actually an original Dragon as she joined at the start of the third series.
The successful entrepreneur launched a glass and ceramics business straight out of college at the age of 19, supplying stores including Harvey Nichols, but unfortunately it failed after just 18 months.
Undeterred by its failure, Deborah took on a franchise for Italian clothing company Stefanel before joining the family business, Weststar Holidays.
While she was in her early 20s back in the summer of 1985, Deborah met her future husband Paul Farmer.
Paul was actually working at Weststar during his university break when he first set eyes on a young Deborah, who eventually became Managing Director of the company.
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He was actually working at Weststar during his university break.
Sadly the couple split up due to the fact she didn’t want to start a family, but things changed when Deborah returned from a trip to Venezuela.
When she came back to London they rekindled their romance, getting back together and then marrying in 1993.
Deborah and Paul do not have any children but they do have many pets in their luxurious renovated 10-bed Somerset home.
According to Deborah, husband Paul is in charge of “domestic chores” at home and is a “fantastic cook”.
“I hate cleaning so as a student I used to work in a bar at night in order to pay someone to clean my flat,” she said in an interview with the Telegraph in 2011, cheekily adding: “I’ve never told anyone that.
"I still don’t do any domestic chores; my husband Paul is in charge. It sounds terrible, doesn’t it?”
When Deborah appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013, she was blown away by Paul’s romantic gesture.
Revealing all on The Graham Norton Show in March last year, Deborah explained that her husband secretly took dancing lessons so they could enjoy busting a move together.
Deborah, who was partnered with pro dancer Robin Windsor, explained: “When I was doing Strictly, Paul could see how much I loved dancing. I loved doing Strictly.
“He secretly took dancing lessons. I’d been so mean to him for 30 years, so horrible to him, and then he goes and does that.
“As a result of that he grew to love dancing, we both love dancing, we went off to Buenos Aires to learn Argentine Tango and now we both dance for four hours a week.
“It’s a lovely thing because we all have busy lives. Just being face to face with your partner for four hours of your week.”
They own six horses, five sheep, six ducks, three geese, 10 chickens, three pigs, three dogs and two cats.
Deborah has admitted she likes rescuing animals because she isn’t keen on anything with “too much dependency”.
"There's something in me that thinks, if I can, 'I'll give these guys a good life’,” she told The Daily Mail.
"We've got two dogs, too, but they're definitely Paul's. I'm not a dog person. They require too much attention. I don't like anything with too much dependency.
"Children are very dependent, which is probably why we never had them."
According to Spear's magazine, Deborah's net worth is around £40million, while Paul is estimated to be worth around half of that figure.
In 1999, Deborah acquired the major shareholding in a management buyout, later selling the company for £33m whilst retaining a 23% stake which she then sold in 2007 when Weststar was bought for £83m.
The couple used that money to buy their 10-bedroom mansion in Somerset, where Deborah was born, which they have renovated using period accurate materials.
The two storey building was built in stages between 1565 and 1765, when it was bequeathed to William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham by Sir William Pynsent, 2nd Baronet, who did not want the house to go to Lord North.
The Grade II listed building also includes four bathrooms, many reception rooms and offices, a huge kitchen and living room.
Speaking at the time they bought the property, Deborah said: "We have done it up in an ethical way, restoring whatever we can using traditional materials.
"That has cost us at least twice as much as it needed to. I always say, we were lucky to find our home, and it was lucky to find us.
"I do not know anybody in their right mind who would have spent the money on it we have – far more than we will ever get back."
* Dragons' Den airs tonight on BBC One at 8pm
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