Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett claims Heathrow guards pulled him aside for questioning four times.
The Diary of a CEO founder made a name for himself by hosting the popular podcast, which has seen guests such as Molly-Mae Hague, Piers Morgan and former Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
The 29-year-old businessman – who has a Nigerian mum and British dad – revealed that he was targeted by airport guards due to his skin colour.
Speaking on the Tony Bellew Is Angry podcast, Bartlett said: ‘I landed into Heathrow, they pulled me aside and I’m in the room for two hours.
‘They know who I am – “You’re from Dragons’ Den.” I then fly back in a few days later. They pull me back in for two hours. I then fly back into Heathrow – it happened three times in a row… into the same room for two hours, looking at me… asking questions.
‘Then for the fourth time which I flew in which was yesterday, they come up to me and go, “uhh where have you come from.” And I go, “I’ve flown in from Indonesia, and they go “come with us.”‘
He continued: ‘I remember feeling, it’s a good thing I have emotional control now because if I’d said something, probably would have ended in the newspapers.’
The Home Office told The Mirror: ‘Border Force’s priority is to maintain a secure border. We will not compromise on security.’
In addition to his business savvy, Bartlett is also the author of Sunday Times bestseller Happy Sexy Millionaire: Unexpected Truths about Fulfilment, Love, and Success.
Of course, given his background, the star has quite a large following on social media.
His Instagram account, @steven, has raked in 2million followers.
His YouTube channel, The Diary Of A CEO, has 226k subscribers and shows the recording of his podcast – which sees the TV personality chat to fellow entrepreneurs and CEOs.
When he was 26 years old, Forbes magazine estimated that the entrepreneur was worth $96m (£68m).
He was also named in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list and has won prizes at prestigious awards including the Black British Business Awards and the Great British Entrepreneur Awards.
