ONE hopeful on Dragons’ Den hopeful broke down in tears over a thoughtful gesture by Steven Bartlett.
However, the motion did not go down as well as planned with BBC One viewers who branded him as being ‘patronising’.
Millie pitched her make-up brand Human Beauty and told her incredible story[/caption]
She broke down in tears at the end of her session in the den[/caption]
On Dragon’s Den, influencer Millie Flemington Claire was hoping to receive investment in her Human Beauty makeup line.
In her life, she has a rare genetic medical condition called Cystinosis that affects one in every 200,000 births.
Steven Bartlett was visibly moved by her story, but he declined to invest in her product.
Instead, he offered her the opportunity to attend his London offices and meet with his specialist tech wizz team.
He said they would teach her the tricks of the trade after she declared that she needed help with the social media side of her brand.
The personality explained: “Billie. It’s a really, really inspiring story, and I love sitting in this chair, because I get to meet people who have given me this wonderful reminder of human perseverance and creativity and ingenuity and how there’s so many people out there fighting to change things.
“As a business case, it’s not a financial investment for me, okay, so I’m gonna say that.
The social media star added: “But I’m willing to invest my time, which means that I’m inviting you to come to my offices in central London, hang out with me and my team.
“We can teach you the dark arts and social media and marketing that you’re seeking and hopefully that will give you what you’re looking for.
“So that’s an offer from me. It’s not a financial one. It’s where I’m out. But I mean offering to invest more time.”
After his speech, even Deborah Meaden was affected by his words as she exclaimed: “God, that’s a great offer.”
One by one, the Dragon’s pulled out from investing money, but Touker Suleyman and Peter Jones also offered to help.
The pair both offered to help with Touker promising assistance with sourcing and Peter would aid with the distribution.
Deborah, 66, joked that it was the best deal ever in the den as she walked away with the help of three dragons without selling an inch of her company.
Dragons’ Den stars – past and present
Dragons’ Den has been on our screens since 2005 and sees entrepreneurs enter the Den to try and win investment for their businesses from the Dragons.
Over the years there have been many wealthy investors sitting in the famous seats, here’s a rundown of them all and how long they were on the show for.
- Peter Jones – series 1 – present
- Deborah Meaden – series 3 – present
- Touker Suleyman – series 13 – present
- Sara Davies – series 17 – present
- Steven Bartlett – series 19 – present
- Duncan Bannatyne – series 1 – 12
- Rachel Elnaugh – series 1 and 2
- Doug Richard – series 1 and 2
- Simon Woodroffe – series 1
- Theo Paphitis – series 2 -10
- Richard Farleigh – series 3 and 4
- James Caan – series 5-8
- Hilary Devey – series 9 and 10
- Kelly Hoppen – series 11 and 12
- Piers Linney – series 11 and 12
- Nick Jenkins – series 13 and 14
- Sarah Willingham – series 13 and 14
- Jenny Campbell – series 15 and 16
- Tej Lalvani – series 15 – 18
- Emma Grede and Gary Neville were guest Dragons during series 21.
Billie then broke down in tears as she declared how overwhelmed she was by their thoughtful words and generosity.
Despite the lovely gesture, many viewers thought that the Diary Of A CEO podcast host and the other Dragons were ‘patronising’.
Taking to X – formerly known as Twitter – one viewer claimed: “Bartlett patronising levels stratospheric.”
“Steven won’t invest, but he’ll make you a TikTok video,” stated a sarcastic second user.
While a third social media fan commented: “What was different about that makeup that Rimmel etc don’t already offer? That all just felt a bit patronising. Kind, but patronisingly so.”
Three of the Dragons offered their time to help with her business, but no money[/caption]
Despite their kind gestures, a number of viewers called them “patronising”[/caption]
Dragon’s Den continues on BBC One and is available to watch on iPlayer.
