A BRADFORD businesswoman has defended herself after she appeared on television show the Dragons' Den to pitch for investment but seemingly struggled to answer financial questions about her shapewear firm.

Farnaz Khan set up Fit Britches two years ago and on Sunday night the mother-of-four went before BBC Two's Dragons in the first of a new series - but she failed to impress the five multi-millionaire entrepreneurs. 

She was asking for an investment of £75,000 in return for a five per cent stake in the business, but none of the Dragons invested in the underwear, which Mrs Khan said is celebrated by the likes of Jessie J, Khloe Kardashian and TOWIE's Gemma Colins. 

At one point Mrs Khan appeared to struggle to answer Dragon Deborah Meaden's questions about the firm's most recent figures, and was criticised for not knowing her business. She appeared tearful and admitted that her mind had gone blank and that she was disappointed with herself.

The 35-year-old told the Telegraph & Argus she got stage fright, but that the programme had not shown the full picture.

"What you didn't see is how we talked about profit margins and variation which explained the initial discrepancy.

"I explained I could do a projected for year two but couldn't do the actual cost of goods as that's impossible to do when the second year accounts hadn't gone in.

"I also responded to Deborah explaining how I've built two start ups without any investment to exceed £150,000-plus in their first year, with healthy profits and no debt."

She added that filming in the Den lasted for about two hours, but around ten minutes was shown, leaving her annoyed at the way her pitch was edited.

But on a positive note, she added: "It's just made me even more determined to make the business a success. The investment from the Dragons would have been great, but the reason I went on the show was more about their business networks and experience rather than the money.

"Since the programme went out on Sunday we have been snowed under with orders and I've had people contacting me wanting to invest in the company."

After the show Mrs Khan posted on Twitter that the ten minutes of primetime coverage on the BBC was "gold dust" for a business.

"Money can’t buy that kind of exposure," she added.

The Fit Britches idea came after Mrs Khan began exploring other ways of shedding her post-pregnancy pounds - and came across a link between heat and weight loss.

The shapewear is made from a special knitted fabric which along with compression panels helps stimulate circulation and reduce fat. The latest collection includes leggings and tops as well as knickers and shorts.

The business was named as one of the Best 100 British Start-Ups of 2014.