Duncan Bannatyne
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Duncan Bannatyne, OBE D.Sc.(born February 2, 1949) is a British entrepreneur and businessman. He is most famous for his appearance as a business angel or Dragon on the BBC programme Dragons' Den.
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Biography
Raised in the town of Clydebank and from a relatively poor family, Bannatyne joined the Royal Navy where he served several years before receiving a dishonorable discharge for attempting to throw an officer off a vessel. In his biography he claims this was in part a reaction to this officer's abuse of his authority, in part a dare, and in part a way of getting out of the Navy, with which he had become disillusioned. After the incident he had to serve 9 months in a military detention centre before being discharged .[1]
After spending his twenties moving from one job to another, Bannatyne lived for a few years on the island of Jersey where he met his first wife. With a difficult business climate for outsiders, at age 30 Bannatyne and his wife moved to Stockton-on-Tees in northern England. Bannatyne's business career began almost immediately with an ice cream van purchased for £450. He soon expanded by buying more vans and eventually sold the business for £28,000, founding a nursing home business instead. He sold his nursing home business Quality Care Homes for £46 million in 1996 and children's nursery chain Just Learning for £22 million[2].
He has since expanded into health clubs, with the popular Bannatyne's chain to his name, and also to bars, casinos and property. He has recently taken over Living Well health club which is one of the biggest clubs in Britain and named it Bannatyne's Health Club.
His current wealth is estimated at £168 million, as indicated in 2006 by the Sunday Times Rich List, which places him as the 348th richest person.
Television career
Since his initial appearance on BBC Two's Dragon's Den, Bannatyne has had a side career developing in the media.
He appeared on ITV 1's new show Fortune - Million Pound Giveaway where people seek money to fulfill their dreams.
Charity works
Bannatyne received his OBE partly in recognition for his charity work in Romania where over a 10 year period he has funded several projects, notably Casa Bannatyne in Târgu-Mureş, a hospice for orphans with HIV and AIDS. He also works with charity projects in Malawi through Scottish International Relief. He took part in Beat the Boss Comic Relief Special.
Personal life
He has six children: four by his first wife, Gail; and two by his current wife, Joanne McCue.
Joanne McCue was Bannatyne's former director of nursing with Quality Care Homes. He proposed to her in Barbados in early 2006, and married her on 11 November 2006 at St Mary's Church in Norton, County Durham[3]. Celebrities at the ceremony included Anna Ryder Richardson, Cherie Lunghi, Gary McCausland, Dragons' Den presenter Evan Davis and fellow Dragons Theo Paphitis, Richard Farleigh and Simon Woodroffe. Pop star Marc Almond then performed for 200 guests in the warehouse next to his company's head office.
Bannatyne and his family live in England and France, maintaining homes in Wynyard in the north-east of England, London and Cannes. He has recently fallen out with long time best friend Daniel Short over suggestions that Dan stole ideas from Duncan[citation needed].
References and footnotes
- ^ Anyone Can Do It, My Story by Duncan Bannatyne, 2006.
- ^ http://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/leisure/weekendtimes/feature/display.var.1004496.0.driven_restless_and_a_bit_arrogant_but_definitely_not_the_retiring_kind.php
- ^ http://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/leisure/weekendtimes/feature/display.var.1004496.0.driven_restless_and_a_bit_arrogant_but_definitely_not_the_retiring_kind.php
