Dragon’s Den Star Takes Kids Out Of School For Year-long Holiday

We’re used to reading stories from incredulous parents who’ve been rapped over the knuckles and handed a fine for taking their kids to Ibiza for a week during school term time.

But Dragon’s Den star Sarah Willingham has gone one better – and decided to give her four children an entire YEAR away from the classroom to take them on the holiday of a lifetime.

42-year-old multi-millionaire Sarah, who made her fortune running the Bombay Bicycle Club restaurant chain, says she’s just making up for lost time, claiming she was so busy building her business empire after giving birth that she skipped maternity leave and would regularly take the kids along to meetings.

“I asked if anyone had a problem, and they never did,” she says. “In order for me to continue running the businesses, the babies needed to come with me wherever I went. So I always needed to work.“

“For me, as a mum, this is such a precious time with the kids. They still think we’re cool, they still choose us over their mates and I feel I’m bottling a period of our life that we’ll never forget. How could you not come back enriched?“

However, it won’t simply be a case of chilling out, mixing with the locals and ‘finding themselves’ for the Willingham kids.

Mum’s made some plans for them to keep up with their learning while they’re away on their jollies by enrolling them in local schools and setting up some classes in their swanky hotel rooms. Bah!