Bannatyne blasts 'liar' Anne Robinson

Rex Features

Duncan Bannatyne has hit out at Watchdog host Anne Robinson, branding her dishonest.

The Dragons' Den star appeared on the BBC One consumer show last week to defend the use of sunbeds at his health clubs. Robinson later claimed that he "stormed off" the programme in a "very, very angry" mood after she interviewed him.

Denying the allegation in an interview with the Daily Express, Bannatyne insisted: "I have a live audience and the crew as my witness. Perhaps Anne has some memory loss or dreamt it.

"I was in a hurry to leave. We were begged to stay for an extra hour as Anne kept fluffing her lines. I had an appointment so had to hurry but in no way stormed out."

The businessman also insisted that Robinson lied to viewers when she claimed that a melanoma she had removed from her back in 2001 was caused by sunbeds.

He commented: "Is Anne saying she's never been out in the garden, gone to the beach and built a sandcastle with the sun on her back? Is she saying she lived her whole life in a darkened room? She has no evidence her melanoma was not caused by sunshine."

Bannatyne increased the age limit on his fitness club's sunbeds from 16 to 18 in response to Watchdog's investigation into young people's use of the tanning machines.