Deborah Meaden

“I don't spend a lot of time worrying about how I look and I don't fall into the trap of judging myself by my appearance.”

“I don't think I'm ruthless, but I'm very driven, irritatingly so.”

“As an entrepreneur and employer, in the fairly recent past I have been astonished at how difficult it has been to get young people to take the idea of getting a job seriously.”

“I look in the mirror and see lines, but I have earned those lines. It has taken me 59 years to get them and I am not losing them now.”

“Feminism doesn't have a particularly constructive image, although I think there was time when it was relevant.”

“I was never good at taking instructions.”

“I'm not great at taking compliments because I always find the thing I could do better.”

“I love the ingenuity of British entrepreneurs.”

“I've got a lot of laughter lines. You don't get laughter lines on your face without having a lot of fun in your life.”

“Nearly everybody, when they first meet me, seems to have this sense of trepidation.”

“I often see people who I think could be really successful in business but they just don't realise they have the skills and they don't believe in themselves.”

“I am a more rounded person than you see on television. You don't bark your way to being a success.”

“I'm quite a restless holidaymaker - I can't lie down on the sand and don't like too much heat.”

“I care a lot about animal welfare and children. Although I don't have children myself.”

“Loving something doesn't make it a good investment.”

“I form opinions quickly.”

“Peter Jones is hot.”

“People think I am a workaholic but I just love business.”

“I'm not a feminist.”

“I'm not a fearful person, I have no phobias of rats, snakes, spiders, nothing. I'm lucky in that sense.”