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Duncan BannatyneScottish entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist, broadcaster and writer
Date of Birth: 02.02.1949
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Early Life and Military Career
Duncan Bannatyne was born on February 2, 1949, in Clydebank, Scotland. At the age of 15, he joined the Royal Navy as a Junior Seaman Second Class (Stoker) on the training ship Ganges. He served in the Navy for several years before being dishonorably discharged at the age of 19 after pushing an officer into the water from a dock. Bannatyne later claimed that this act was partly in response to the officer's abuse of power and a way to secure his dismissal from the Navy, which he had grown disillusioned with.
Business Ventures
After leaving the Navy, Bannatyne took on various jobs and lived on the island of Jersey, where he met his first wife. He moved to Stockton-on-Tees, England, with his wife at the age of 29. With no money to his name, he opened his first bank account at the age of 30.
Bannatyne's business career began shortly after his move. He bought an ice cream van for £450 and soon expanded it into a chain of ice cream outlets. He eventually sold the chain for £28,000 and founded a nursing home chain called Quality Care Homes, which he sold in 1997 for £26,000,000, and a chain of nurseries called Just Learning, which later earned him £12,000,000.
Bannatyne's business ventures expanded to include health clubs, bars, hotels, and property. He notably acquired 26 fitness clubs from Hilton Hotels for £92,000,000. His fitness club chain is now the UK's largest independent health club group. He also added the Charlton House Hotel and Spa in Somerset to his portfolio in May 2010.
In 2009, Bannatyne joined Business Matters, the UK's largest monthly business magazine, as a columnist. His net worth was estimated at £430,000,000 in 2011 according to the Sunday Times Rich List, but it dropped to £85,000,000 in 2012, partly due to his divorce and the downturn in property prices.
Family and Personal Life
Duncan Bannatyne is a father of four children from his first marriage (all daughters) and two children (one son and one daughter) from his second marriage. He is a grandfather of two from his eldest daughter, Hollie. He divorced his second wife, Joanne McCue, in December 2011. In 2011, Bannatyne tweeted that he suffers from prosopagnosia, a condition that affects the ability to recognize faces. In October 2012, he was hospitalized after suffering a heart attack.
