Trinny Woodall reveals Dragons' Den secret after guest spot on BBC show

The fashion and beauty guru did a stint in the Den during the current series of the programme

Dragons' Den S22,09-01-2025,Trinny Woodall,BBC Studios,Simon Pantling
Trinny Woodall is the latest celebrity guest on Dragons' Den. (BBC)

Trinny Woodall has revealed that the stars of Dragons' Den have a secret "tally" of who has made the most.

The fashion and beauty guru is one of the celebrity guest Dragons in the latest series of the BBC show, joining investors Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Sara Davies, Touker Suleyman and Steven Bartlett in the Den. And she has shared that the entrepreneurs keep track of who invests in what and how much it makes.

Opening up on The One Show, she said she had discovered the list in the Green Room but that she couldn't reveal who was ahead as she didn't want to be "indiscreet".

What Not To Wear star Woodall was on the programme on Thursday, 30 January and host Alex Jones said she'd heard that she had a secret from the Dragons' Den set.

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"I can share but not specifically," Woodall teased.

Trinny Woodall on The One Show. (BBC screengrab)
Trinny Woodall on The One Show. (BBC screengrab)

"So, in between each one you go and reset, so we are sitting in the room on our phones and there is this thing where all the kind of food is. And I see this line up of who has made how many investments and it’s a slight tally.

"And I was like, 'Oooh!' so I commented, 'Oooh' and then the person who has made the most went, 'Mmmm'."

"I can’t tell you who because that would be indiscreet," she went on. "But I love that they are competitive outside of the studios as well as inside."

Read more: Dragons' Den

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"It makes it more real doesn’t it?" agreed Jones.

Woodall said she had "great fun" being one of the investors on the show, but admitted that she battled a few nerves.

"Sitting in the chair you feel a little nervous," she said. "Because you think, 'Oh God I am sitting on this side now.' Because I have been on the other side a lot, just trying to raise money. And I know how tough it is."

"I loved doing it," she went on. "And it was fun and they were so encouraging. They were excited I was there. There is nothing better than feeling welcomed."

Dragons' Den S22,09-01-2025,Steven Bartlett, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies, Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Trinny Woodall ,BBC Studios,Simon Pantling
Trinny Woodall with Steven Bartlett, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies, Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden. (BBC)

Woodall also told how her beauty business, Trinny London, helped prepare her to be a Dragon.

She said: "Because for the last 10 years I have run a business and it has grown a bit and so I have learned a lot. I learned on the hoof as it were... it did help me a lot because it helped me to understand when you want to invest in somebody, they have got to have a mix.

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"They have got to have a mix of knowing their figures and they have got to, you know for someone who is really creative, they still need to know how the business will grow."

The One Show airs on BBC One at 7pm on weekdays.

Dragons' Den airs on BBC One on Thursdays.