Dragons’ Den has announced Gary Neville and Emma Grede will be joining the BBC show as guest panellists on the upcoming 21st series.
The former professional footballer turned businessman extraordinaire and the London-born and fashion mogul will be offering their expertise alongside Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies and Steven Bartlett when the programme returns next year.
This will mark the first time that seven people have made up the Dragon’s Den panel.
Although Gary might be best known for his career on the pitch, he has gone on to build a business empire with a portfolio that spans property, hospitality, education, media and sport.
Gary enthused: “I am excited to join the Dragons, and to meet the entrepreneurs brave enough to face us in the Den.
“I hope my personal journey shows that you can take the experiences you’ve had in one part of your career and use them to do something entirely different and make it a success.
“Business is all about managing people and managing yourself and I’m looking forward to sharing my experience to help the entrepreneurs we’ll meet in the Den reach their potential.”
Meanwhile, Emma is the pioneering architect of multiple fashion, retail and lifestyle brands worth billions of dollars.
She is the co-founder and CEO of the fashion brand Good American, which she established in 2016 alongside Khloé Kardashian, and is also the founding partner of Kim Kardashian’s shapewear line Skims.
Besides being recognised as one of America’s Richest Self-Made Women by Forbes, she also co-founded the plant-powered cleaning brand Safely.
Emma added: “I’m no stranger to the boardroom. I’m surrounded by strong women, and I champion those who are independent and have an idea that I can help develop and grow.
“I watched Dragons’ Den growing up, and being able to come back to the UK as a Dragon to share my own experience with the budding entrepreneurs entering the Den, is very exciting.
“I am looking for people who are passionate, not afraid to think big and know their product, and their audience.”
Filming for Dragons’ Den is currently underway in Manchester, and Emma and Gary will be joining the usual line-up in episodes next year, to shake things up and impart their unique business advice on those entering the Den.
Audiences will get to see dozens of entrepreneurs enter the Den to impress the Dragons, hoping to leave with an investment.
Dragons’ Den will be back on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in 2024.