‘Pussycat’ Deb loves a good rammy!

Having been a regular for nine series, Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden has had plenty of telly bust-ups.

Ask if she still enjoys a good rammy, though, and her expression goes from puzzlement to delight.

“What’s that? A bit of a row I love that. I’m going to use that in the Den now!” she tells The Sunday Post.

“You’ve watched the show, you know I’m a pussycat.

“What I do get fed up about is if I think my time is being wasted.

“The den is a hot place, it’s very intense. If I think there’s a business opportunity I’ll hang in there but I get frustrated if there’s a lot of nonsense going on.

“I just think, ‘This is a life-changing opportunity for you. Concentrate and answer the questions.’

“I feel like it’s wasted if they don’t get their investment and that’s when you see me get frustrated.”

She might not quite be a pussycat you don’t build up a huge business empire by rolling over for tickles but Deborah is a lot more fun and less forbidding than she appears.

And she won’t maul those who try a quick pitch when she’s out and about.

“I get people telling me about their business ideas everywhere I go,” she smiles.

“I was at the station buying a ticket the other day and the lady said I’m glad I saw you’

“I said I had to dash for a train but she told me it was running late and carried on!

“That’s fine, though. I’m on television and I’m in business, so I respect that people want to take an opportunity when they get it.”

The long-running series is back tonight, refreshed by the introduction of two new Dragons.

Peter Jones and Duncan Bannatyne remain with Deborah but Theo Paphitis and Hilary Devey have been replaced by Piers Linney and Kelly Hoppen.

“When you work together for series after series you get to know each other and how it all works,” says Deborah.

“If you put two new dragons in it’s going to change the dynamic anyway.

“But these guys are good they have different expertise and a fresh approach.”

Deborah’s shrewd business brain has seen her pick some highly profitable partnerships.

The good outweigh the bad, although she hasn’t always laughed all the way to the bank.

“I’ve made some mistakes,” she admits. I’ve had two fail on me and I’ve probably lost a couple of hundred thousand on each of the investments.”