Former Dragons’ Den participant and freight entrepreneur Hillary Divi has died at the age of 65.
She died on Saturday after a long illness in Morocco, where she owned a property, said her publicist Benjamin Webb.
She founded the multimillion-dollar freight distribution business Pall-Ex after selling her home and car in the 1990s to finance it.
Davey was born in Bolton and left school at 16, later moving to London for work. She was determined to succeed after seeing her father go bankrupt when she was seven.
By the time she sold Pall-Ex in 2019, it had a turnover of £ 85 million and operated in 26 countries.
She joined the BBC Two Dragons’ Den program in 2011 and continued to present The Intern on Channel 4 in 2012.
Participants in the Fellow Dragons’ Den panel paid tribute to the entrepreneur on Twitter. Health club tycoon Duncan Banatin wrote: “It’s sad to hear that @HilaryDevey has died. So young. Too young. Rest in peace, Hillary. X “
Theo Pafitis, who owns the Rymans and Robert Dyas chains and also appeared on the show with her, wrote: “It’s so sad to hear about the death of the beautiful Hilary Devi. She left all our fantastic memories, let her rest in peace. My thoughts are with her family. X “
She was known for her direct feedback on Dragons’ Den, once telling a racer in a rage, “You’re going to make my legs itch, buddy,” after he failed to break his business. She was also known to show warmth to those who appeared nervous.
She received the CBE in 2013 for her career in business and charity, which included being vice president of the Carers Trust. She was also a patron of the Stroke Association after suffering a stroke in 2009.
She married twice and left behind a 35-year-old son, Mevlit Brewster-Ahmet.
She has been smoking since the age of 15 and has vowed to give up her 40-year-old habit in 2017 after fearing health. She took a health test as part of a public health campaign in England and said she was “shocked” by the results.
“My son is now 31 years old and I want to make sure I have many more years,” she said in an interview at the time.
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She also appeared in The Business Inspector on Channel 5.
Describing that she had become CBE, she said at the time: “In every sense of the word, this is a great honor and I am equally flattered and amazed.
“It’s wonderful to receive such recognition, but it should be less for me, but more for the charities I support and the incredible transport sector in which I have the privilege of working.
“So I pay tribute to the Carers Trust, the Stroke and Fresh Start Association – New Beginnings and other charities I’ve tried to support, as well as truck drivers, forklift drivers and everyone else working in the logistics sector,” the unsung heroes of British industry.
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