When we manage to grab a moment with the ever-busy Sara Davies, it’s clear that her life is a whirlwind of work and family commitments. The Dragons’ Den star, 40, who became the youngest female investor on the show in 2019, has just finished interviewing Lisa Nandy, the UK’s Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, at the government-hosted Creative Industries Growth Summit in Gateshead.
After our conversation, she’ll be heading back to the North East home she shares with her husband, Simon, and their two sons. Her day started early, she reveals, as she’s “been up since 5am on a big business negotiation for Crafter’s Companion in China”.
It’s a dizzying schedule, but what keeps her going? “My dad instilled in me that as long as you genuinely love what you do, you don’t work a day in your life, and that’s honestly how I feel,” she shares. “I’m all about energy exchange, and as much as it’s taken a load of fuel out of my tank to get the emotional energy to deliver that [interview], because of the energy I felt in that room, I feel like I’ve actually just had a hose pipe plugged into me pumping petrol in.”
Another source of inspiration is her husband Simon, who she’s been with since she was 15, reports the Mirror. They tied the knot in 2007 and have two children – Oliver, 11, and Charlie, eight.
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“Even after 25 years, I still absolutely idolise the ground he walks on,” she beams. “I’m a firm believer that you become a product of the people you surround yourself with, and I know I’m a better person because of his influence on me, and I know I make him a better person as well. There is an absolutely unbreakable trust between us, and I think that’s the foundation for any successful marriage.”
Given her busy schedule, one might wonder how Sara manages family life back in Durham. “I’m the mam who likes to say yes to everything. The other week I had a really busy week at work and most people would want to have a pyjama day off, but the kids said, ‘Can we go to the cinema and watch Sonic 3, Mam? ‘ So I said ‘Yes! ‘And then it was, ‘Can we take our friends, and can we have pancakes? ‘ So I said, ‘Of course, let’s go pick them all up and let me go and buy some eggs.’ So I was making pancakes and feeding the 5,000, but that’s what I want. I want to be the house where all the kids want to be, that’s just how I am.”
“I want to be the house where all the kids want to be, that’s just how I am. ” Another pivotal figure in Sara’s life since the 2021 edition of Strictly Come Dancing is her dance partner, Aljaž Škorjanec. Along with his wife Janette Manrara, who welcomed their first child in July 2023, Aljaž now enjoys a close relationship with Sara and her husband Simon, as their families often share holidays, care for one another’s children, and lend support whenever needed. Recounting her intense training days, Sara reflected, “I spent more time with him in those three months than I did with my husband,” adding that “They’re such amazing people, they’re more like family than friends now.
“Post-Strictly, Sara has embarked on an incredible physical journey, shedding in excess of 3st, leading her to a contented size 14, yet her focus isn’t the scale, but her health. Detailing her motivation, she explains her past experience with gestational diabetes during pregnancy and a stark warning from a nurse about her vulnerability to type 2 diabetes impelled her to take action. “Every year since I’ve had my blood glucose levels checked and every year I’ve seen that number creep up and up towards the pre-diabetic area. Then, two years ago, the doctor told me, ‘This is getting a little bit out of hand, by this time next year you’ll be pre-diabetic.
“It was the kick up the bum I needed. ” Sara has shared that she made a commitment to eliminate sugar from her diet as part of her recovery strategy. Additionally, she increased her running routine, which began during lockdown, and set herself the goal of achieving a respectable time in the Great North Run half-marathon. “I’d run the Great North Run the year before but it was a disaster and I was really disappointed with my time.
(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
“It took me three hours to do it. So last year I was on a mission to get a really good GNR time and kept up the running and the training.” She points out that despite weighing more this year than last, she’s healthier and happier, having dropped two dress sizes. “Body positivity has never been my issue, I don’t want to be a size six or eight. I’m a very happy size 14.
I’ve got big stretch marks and my mum tum, but it’s part of being human, and I know I’m healthy, and that’s what matters to me. ” In addition to her physical transformation, Sara is also excited about her upcoming 16-part BBC series, The Big Idea Works, which combines elements of Dragons’ Den and The Repair Shop. The show will feature her collaborating with engineers to bring the concepts of budding inventors to life, including inventions like a “sugar pen” for checking sugar levels in drinks, a mess-free bird feeder, and a pillow designed to reduce snoring.
Sara explains that the show’s creation was partly due to the BBC’s commitment to producing content outside of London, and her own determination to bolster the creative industry in her native North East. A local production company shadowed her for three months to develop a suitable format.
“They came to my office, met my staff, had a cup of coffee with my mam and dad, and literally embedded themselves to understand what made me tick and what I was passionate about,” she shares. “My first big break 20 years ago came from identifying a problem and having an idea for a solution – people were making homemade cards but didn’t have the envelopes to fit.
“My dad was an engineer so was able to take what was in my head and make it into a working prototype. So the lightbulb moment for the show was finding more everyday people who have ideas, and getting lots of engineers in the room to bring them to life.”
Sara takes great pride in the series, which was filmed locally and employed regional talent, primarily because of the”30, 40 people who got a job as a result of us making the show”. She recalls, “Our head cameraman said to me one day, ‘I was a bit late this morning because I dropped the kids off at school. I haven’t been able to do that for months because I’ve been away working – I can’t tell you what it means to be able to do a job in the North East.
“‘I’m the mam who likes to say yes to everything. The other week I had a really busy week at work and most people would want to have a pyjama day off, but the kids said, ‘Can we go to the cinema and watch Sonic 3, Mam? ‘ So I said ‘Yes! ‘And then it was, ‘Can we take our friends, and can we have pancakes? ‘ So I said, ‘Of course, let’s go pick them all up and let me go and buy some eggs.’ So I was making pancakes and feeding the 5,000, but that’s what I want. I want to be the house where all the kids want to be, that’s just how I am.”
So I’m desperate to make the show such a smash hit that it goes on to be recommissioned. That’s what drives me.” Sara also appreciates not having to crush anyone’s dreams on this show. “When I have to say, ‘I don’t think this is commercially viable,’ on Dragons’ Den and they look crestfallen, it’s devastating. So it’s lovely on this show that I never have to do that!”
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