Dragons' Den Contestant Returns Gary Neville's £25,000 Investment After Filming
In a surprising twist, a Dragons' Den star has revealed why she gave back a £25,000 investment from football icon Gary Neville after the cameras stopped rolling, despite initially hailing him as her 'dream Dragon'.
The Dream Pitch That Turned Sour
Danielle Close, a professional psychic medium and founder of the skincare brand My Skin Feels, appeared on the BBC hit show in 2023. Her business, which creates sensitive-skin-friendly formulas using rescued food by-products, impressed the Dragons, leading to a joint £50,000 offer from Deborah Meaden and guest Dragon Gary Neville.
'If you want to know something really weird... years ago, when Gary Neville was announced as a Dragon, I really thought if I ever go on the show, I want my Dragon to be him,' Danielle told Metro. 'So when I was put with him, I just knew it; I had such a good feeling about him.'
Why the Investment Was Returned
Despite the seemingly perfect match, Danielle ultimately turned down Neville's £25,000 portion of the offer. She explained that private investors, who came through her psychic mediumship contacts, presented a better deal post-filming.
'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,' she confessed. This decision also meant she inadvertently snubbed fellow Dragon Peter Jones, who had made an offer she forgot in the excitement.
Psychic Background Fuels Business Success
Danielle, a fifth-generation psychic medium, balances her spiritual work with running My Skin Feels. She argues that intuition plays a crucial role in business, helping her make key decisions.
'People think that my psychic work is separate, but intuition is your daily life... for me, choosing who to work with, knowing which direction to go in, it's just having good intuition,' she said. 'I bet if you talk to any business leader, they're using intuition and not realising they're using it.'
Post-Den Growth and Expansion
Since her Dragons' Den appearance, My Skin Feels has achieved remarkable success, including:
- 250% year-on-year growth
- Expansion into the US market
- Early distribution secured with Whole Foods
This growth underscores how Danielle's unique blend of psychic insight and entrepreneurial drive has propelled her Brighton-based brand forward, even without the Dragons' investment.
