Sara Davies has opened up about who she wants to replace her on Dragons’ Den following her unexpected exit.
The 40-year-old entrepreneur recently announced she was stepping away from the series after six years, leaving viewers shocked.
During an appearance on The One Show on Monday evening, host Alex Jones addressed the news while Sara sat on the famous green sofa.
Keen to get her thoughts, the Welsh presenter asked who Davies thought should take her spot on the panel.
Davies said: “Do you know, I loved it when Gary Neville was in last year, and I feel like he really had that, he had the empathy and the warmth that I think I bring to the den.”
Footballer Neville, 50, appeared as a guest dragon on the BBC show last year and was widely praised for his performance.
Earlier in the segment, Davies also spoke about her decision to leave.
Speaking to Jones, she shared: “It’s who I am. It’s part of my DNA. It’s my life. It’s everything. And I’m not going to lie, it was not the easiest decision to make, but I'm just trying to juggle everything.
“You know, when they asked me, I thought, 'Oh yeah, people do it for a couple of years.'
Adding: "And then they asked us back the third year and then they asked us back the fourth year, and then I just kept doing it. And I thought, 'Do you know what, it’s because Dragons is an iceberg.'
“You see the little bit of time we’re filming, but all of these businesses that you commit to, I want to give them a piece of me.”
Davies announced her departure from the show last week on social media.
The businesswoman, author, and TV presenter became the youngest-ever female Dragon when she joined the BBC show in 2019, at the age of 35, after Jenny Campbell’s departure.
Davies, the founder of Crafter’s Companion, a global retail company specializing in craft tools, started the business in her university bedroom in 2005.
Reports suggest that earlier this year, Davies regained her position as a major shareholder and returned to the role of CEO at the company.
Hailing from County Durham, Davies was honoured with a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2016 for her contributions to the economy.
In 2021, Steven Bartlett, at the age of 28, became the youngest Dragon in Dragons' Den history, surpassing Davies. She also appeared as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2021, where she was paired with professional dancer Aljaz Skorjanec.
More recently, she hosted the BBC One show The Big Idea Works, helping everyday people turn their innovative product ideas into reality. She is also set to host a new high-stakes quiz show on ITV called Time Is Money.
