KEVIN O'LEARY - Dare to DREAM

The Shark Tank star opens up about his early struggles, big break and the importance of giving back

- Lucille Barilla

Long before he was a successful businessman or Shark Tank’s “Mr. Wonderful,” Kevin O’Leary was a groom who couldn’t pay for a reception. “We couldn’t afford a fancy wedding. We had a beer at the house and ordered pizza — [and ate it] on just paper plates,” he confides to Closer. “Same gal today,” he adds of his wife, Linda, “so I know she’s not after me because of my success!”

Of course, the Canadian businessman has come a long way. He grew the Learning Company out of a basement, turning it into a profitable business venture that eventually sold for big bucks. That set Kevin on a path to helping other new entrepreneurs as an investor. Today, he sits alongside fellow business gurus Lori Greiner, Barbara Corcoran, Daymond John, Robert Herjavec and Mark Cuban on Shark Tank.

What was your childhood like? 

I had an unusual upbringing, although I didn’t think it was unique. My biological father died when I was very young, and my mother married a man who was an engineer and later became an expert for the United Nations. So if a country wanted to build a water system or develop some other resource, he would be sent there for two years and help the government build these facilities. So Cyprus, Cambodia, Tunisia, Ethiopia — every 24 months, I moved. It was a remarkable childhood. When we got to Cambodia — a very, very beautiful country — it was in the throes of the Vietnam War.

Your love of cooking is well known. Did all the moving around as a child influence your love of food?