Private equity firms are branching out of their traditional sectors for investment and have gone as far afield as the showbiz world, it has emerged, with new research showing a large number of celebrities are managed or strongly linked to private equity.

Research by Financial News has found that one in seven of the 100 most searched-for celebrities by UK fans last year - according to website celebritiesworldwide.com - are either backed by, or have strong links to, the private equity industry.