A woman who appeared on a popular BBC show has shared some behind-the-scenes secrets that left many viewers shocked. Earlier this year, Danielle Close appeared on Dragons' Den in hopes of securing an investment from a dragon for her skincare brand.
The professional psychic medium owns My Skin Feels, which creates effective, sensitive-skin-friendly formulas using rescued food by-products. After a successful pitch, she managed to secure a £50,000 joint investment from her 'dream Dragons,' Deborah Meaden and Gary Neville.
Following her time on the show, Danielle has now spilled some behind-the-scenes secrets that not many people know about. In a clip shared to her business's official TikTok account, Danielle posted a series of snaps as she 'shared the truth' about her time on Dragons' Den.
The Audition Process
Opening up about the audition process, she started off by saying: 'You have to audition for the show and send in your pitch. It took me all day to get it right. It took three months to go through the audition process.' She continued: 'The due diligence takes months. You have to share every single detail about you and your business with the BBC.'
Production Costs and Scripts
The business owner revealed: 'You're responsible for purchasing anything needed to make your set up look good. We spent about £500 on this - it's not reimbursed.' She went on: 'The script was changed last minute, which caused a mild panic. Sorry guys, the lift isn't real… The most stressful bit was waiting for the doors to open.'
It didn't take long for the comment section to be flooded with comments from viewers who were left shocked by the show's secrets. One wrote: 'The list isn't real?' Danielle replied: 'I know, shocker right?' Another shocked fan questioned: 'There's a script?' Danielle confirmed: 'There sure is. It's your pitch that you have to remember.' One fan was in disbelief as they wrote: 'This was my biggest shock.'
Meanwhile, another was keen to find out more as they asked: 'Are the Dragons scripted too?' Danielle replied: 'I don't think so but I reckon they might be fed info… Don't quote me on that.'
No Comment from BBC
Mirror approached the BBC for a comment, but a spokesman said they would not be commenting on the story. It comes as Danielle revealed that she didn't end up taking Gary and Deborah's money after private investors offered a better deal. She told Metro: 'Weirdly, these investors came in through my psychic mediumship contacts, and they just really liked the business, then it just went on a bit of a spiral.'
You can catch up on Dragons' Den on BBC iPlayer.
