Laura Waters, co‑founder of the child‑friendly sunscreen applicator Solar Buddies, disclosed that after securing an £80,000 investment on *Dragon’s Den* in April 2023, she fell into a secret gambling addiction.. Over 15 months she lost roughly £40,000, hid the habit from her husband Gareth and three children, and only sought help after a painful confrontation.

£13,000 St Tropez auction sparked the spiral

According to the personal account, the first clear sign of trouble emerged at a charity fundraiser for Cardiff University Hospital in May 2023. Waters admits she drank three bottles of wine and, despite normally being “extremely careful with money,” bid £13,000 for a two‑day St Tropez holiday she later could not recall winning. The loss terrified her, yet she rationalised it as a donation for her son’s past health crisis.

From £10 tea‑time bets to £200 daily limits

The report says Waters downloaded a gambling app after a Facebook ad later that month, initially setting a £20 limit per app. within weeks she escalated to £200 limits on some platforms and even “unlimited” bursts lasting 24 hours, spending up to eight hours a day on the phone.

£40,000 vanished as the business scaled

Solar Buddies’ rapid growth—from four to sixteen staff after the *Den* deal—coincided with Waters’ mounting losses.. She estimates the total gambling outlay at £40,000 over 15 months, a sum that strained the company’s cash flow and forced her to conceal the problem from Gareth,who later questioned whether she was having an affair.

Who helped break the cycle?

The source notes that after the confrontation , Waters finally acknowledged the addiction and sought professional help, though it does not name the counselling service or any support network.. The article leaves open whether the business’s investors, Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden, were informed of the financial bleed.

What remains unclear about the fallout?

Key unanswered points include: the exact impact of the £40,000 loss on Solar Buddies’ balance sheet; whether any legal action will be taken by the investors; and how the family plans to rebuild trust after the deception. As the narrative stands, only Waters’ own testimony provides insight.