Dragons' Den is a staple on televisions up and down the country, so fans were thrilled a new series landed on screens recently. The 2024 series has welcomed back its regular faces including Deborah Meaden, Sara Davies, Peter Jones, Touker Suleyman, and entrepreneur and podcaster, Steven Bartlett.
Steven, who joined the BBC programme in 2022, is the youngest investor to join Dragons' Den – but he's certainly not short of credentials. He became a millionaire at the tender age of 23 thanks to his social media marketing agency, Social Chain, climbing to huge success. But what about away from the boardroom, does Steven have someone to enjoy that success with? Here's what we know about his love life…
Is Dragons' Den star Steven Bartlett single?
Steven Bartlett is in a relationship with Melanie Lopes. Steven generally keeps his personal life private, but fans of his hugely successful podcast, Diary of a CEO, will know that he has mentioned a girlfriend in a number of episodes throughout the show's duration, including that she specialises in breath work and wellness.
Who is Steven Bartlett's girlfriend and what does she do?
Steven's girlfriend Melanie is a lifestyle influencer who specialises in breathwork and bodywork. She hails from Bordeaux in France. Like Steven, Melanie has become a successful business owner and runs her own well-being company. She has also released a vegan recipe book and a fitness guide titled Booty Academy.
You can follow Melanie on Instagram @meloai where she often posts videos, reels and photos of her wellness regime. The influencer has an impressive 134,000 followers. It's been reported that Steven and Melanie met on Instagram in 2016, and briefly split in 2017 before reconciling in 2022.
During an appearance on Tolly T's podcast My Love is..., Steven explained how he won Melanie back. “She flew to the other side of the world and lived in Bali for a year. I think as time went on, I reflected on that, I learnt more about things and life, and sex and relationships, and because she was such a special person, I realised that she was the one," he said. "So, I flew to Bali, and I went and said sorry to her.”
Following their reconciliation, in 2022 Steven interviewed writer Jay Shetty. During their discussion about meditation, Steven admitted his girlfriend had inspired him to try the method to keep calm and focused during his busy working life.
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Who was Dragons' Den star Steven Bartlett previously dating?
Although Steven is normally coy with his love life, he did open up about the world of dating in a video posted to his YouTube channel in 2017. In the video, he made a rare revelation about relationships ending due to his work and business taking up the majority of his spare time.
At the time, he said: "I've just come out of a long-term relationship that's lasted… well, in my mind it's long-term because I've never had a relationship other than this one, for about a year.
"That relationship was fantastic and all those things that relationships should be but unfortunately because of my lack of time and my lack of mental focus, and the amount of things I have competing for my attention every single day, that relationship fell apart."
He added: "Between the hours of seven in the morning and nine o'clock at night, I am in the zone, I've got total tunnel vision. I honestly do not realise that there's anyone else outside of my business. So if my family or girlfriend text me, or message me during the day, the chances of me engaging in that meaningfully in that period is virtually impossible."
What else is there to know about Steven Bartlett?
From a young age, Steven had an interest in the world of entrepreneurship and so decided to pursue a degree in business management at Manchester Metropolitan University, but after just one lecture, he dropped out. After leaving his degree, he began setting up The Social Chain in his bedroom in Manchester.
By 23, the business had made him a millionaire. He sold the company in 2023 for £7.7million.
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