It’s been a remarkable 15 years since the very first bunch of budding entrepreneurs confidently strode in to Lord Sugar’s boardroom on The Apprentice.
Back in 2005, the 14 contestants had no idea of what to expect as they were put through a series of business-based challenges in the hope of winning a job with Lord Sugar’s (or Sir Alan, as he was then called) firm. But each series that has followed has often been more colourful than the last with more extreme characters and ridiculous challenges.
This of course, has made for some TV gold, but have you ever wondered what happened to some of the most memorable contestants once the cameras stopped rolling?
We all remember Tom and his bendy nail file and James Hill and his extremely *ahem* unforgettable grey shorts – but are they still sitting in a boardroom, or have they abandoned their business dreams completely?
In celebration of the show’s 15th anniversary, we checked in on a host of contestant to find out what they’re up to now...Ricky Martin (Series 8, 2012)Ricky Martin’s business skills saw him named winner of the series in 2012, going on to launch his business Hyper Recruitment Solutions alongside Lord Sugar, which is dedicated to the science and technology sectors.
The company is still going strong, and in 2018, the group announced it had reached the £1m profit mark, making Ricky the first Apprentice winner to hit the milestone.
The following year, the company also won a number of recruitment industry awards.Kate Walsh (Series 5, 2009)Perhaps best known for her relationship with fellow contestant Philip Taylor, Kate was runner-up in 2009.
After briefly flirting with TV presenting on Channel 5′s Live From Studio 5 and OKTV! from 2009 to 2011, Kate went back to business working as an executive assistant for Pandora.
She has since worked her way up at the jewellery brand, and is now the
UK managing director.Leah Totton (Series 9, 2013)Leah used her investment from Lord Sugar to launch the Dr Leah Cosmetic Skin Clinic in London, with services including botox and laser hair removal. She later opened subsequent branches in
London and Essex.
The business has been a big financial success, with accounts filed by Dr Leah Ltd in 2018 revealing that its pre-tax profits had increased by 40% to £375,804.
Michelle Dewberry (Series 2, 2006)Michelle only lasted nine months at Lord Sugar’s recycling company Xenon Green after winning the second series of the show.
She went on to work as a strategy consultant for Tesco Mobile and launched her own consultancy firm. She also established herself as a broadcaster, making regular appearances on Sky News, and continues to be one of the main panellists on the channel’s political debate programme The Pledge.
In 2017, Michelle stood in the general
election as an independent candidate for Hull West and Hessle, where she grew up, but her campaign was unsuccessful.Luisa Zissman (Series 9, 2013)Luisa wasn’t about to let finishing second get in the way of her business – or her public profile.
Shortly after appearing on the show, Luisa landed a spot in the Celebrity Big Brother house, later popping up on spin-off show Bit On The Side.
She also opened up her own cupcake business The Baker Shop, which included cookware and a book, but she put the firm into liquidation in 2016 to be a full-time mum.Kurt Wilson (Series 9, 2013)Health and safety manager-turned-Health drink entrepreneur Kurt was fired in week seven of the ninth series.
After the show, he went back to his nutrition business Fuel Station, which sold smoothies, juices and meal prep and had clients including Bradley Wiggins and Tyson Fury.
However, the company’s website has since been taken offline, and its
Twitter account has been inactive since 2018.Susan Ma (Series 7, 2011)Susan Ma (pictured right) made the final four of the seventh series, but lost out to Tom Pellereau.
However, she still went on to launch her own company Tropic Skin Care with none other than Lord Sugar, who is a 50/50 partner.
In 2018, the company reported a turnover of over £29.5 million, selling over 3.3 million products per year.Francesca MacDuff-Varley (Series 9, 2013)Francesca just missed out on a place in the 2013 top two and went on to open her own dance studio in Leeds.
She still calls herself a choreographer on her Twitter account, but her LinkedIn profile reveals she is now working as an events manager in Leeds.Andrew Brady (Series 13, 2017)After being fired in a triple sacking, it wasn’t long before we saw Andrew again, as he entered the Celebrity Big Brother house just weeks afterwards.
Andrew’s name didn’t stay far from the headlines after he became the sixth housemate to be evicted, as he embarked on a very public relationship with
Love Island host Caroline Flack.
The pair announced their engagement after three tumultuous months together, but eventually called things off for good eight months later, with Andrew emigrating to Australia to start a new life.Tom Pellereau (Series 7, 2011)Inventor Tom Pellereau was the first winner to be awarded the prize of £250,000 business investment, instead of a job with Lord Sugar.
His life-changing invention was a curved nail file, and his company STYLIdeas has gone on to sell other products including a nail clipper, make-up brush cleaner and sonic toothbrush, which have also been featured on This Morning. His website states that he continues to work closely with Lord Sugar and regularly attends board meetings.
Tom also pops up on TV from time-to-time, including on QVC and on a Channel 5 documentary about railway walks.Elizabeth McKenna (Series 13, 2017)While she didn’t win, Elizabeth was the stand-out star of the 2017 series, and possibly even the whole show.
Following her appearance on The Apprentice, where she tried to get Lord Sugar to invest in her florist business, she returned to it and saw a 500% sales increase in the following year.
In 2018, she created a bouquet of flowers which local schoolchildren presented to
Meghan Markle on her first official outing with
Prince Harry as a couple.Vincent Disneur (Series 7, 2011)Vincent’s good looks weren’t enough to save him from hearing the immortal words “you’re fired”, and he was booted out in week five of the 2011 series.
He’s now Head Of Sales and Marketing at Union Street, “the UK’s leading billing provider”.Lucinda Ledgerwood (Series 4, 2008)Lucinda and her berets made it to the semi-finals, after which she pursued a TV career, before – like many others – going back to the business world.Alex Wotherspoon (Series 4, 2008)After dusting himself off following his dismissal, Alex briefly worked for Lord Sugar’s company Viglen as a sales executive, before becoming a financial advisor for Santander.
In 2012, he launched his own financial planning firm, ARW Wealth Management, which is a partner practice of St. James’s Place Wealth Management in Preston.Simon Ambrose (Series 3, 2007)Despite being labelled “a pillock” by Sir Alan, Simon went on to win the third series of The Apprentice.
He joined Lord Sugar’s business to work on property projects but later left after a three-year stint and now runs the Hoxton Basement and Victorian Vaults events spaces in London.Alana Spencer (Series 12, 2016)Chocolatier Alana won Lord Sugar’s investment in 2016 and established her luxury cake business, Ridiculously Rich by Alana.
As of 2019, the brand has almost 50 franchises taking the cakes to events all across the UK and stocking local independent retailers.
It was also reported she bought back Lord Sugar’s share in the business, and is now the sole owner and director of the firm.Ruth Badger (Series 2, 2006)After finishing runner-up in the second series, Ruth became somewhat of a TV personality, fronting her own show Badger Or Bust? and The Big Idea for Sky One.
She has owned her own consultancy firm, Ruth Badger Consultancy Ltd, since 2006, and runs North West Money, a company which provides finance for homeowners.James Hill (Series 10, 2014)Following his stint on The Apprentice, James entered the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2015′s UK vs
USA series, going on to win the show.
Since then, he has appeared on Celebrity Dinner Date, and E4′s 5 Star Hotel, most recently taking part in Celebrity Coach Trip in 2019.Tim Campbell (Series 1, 2005)Tim was the first ever winner of The Apprentice in 2005, working for Lord Sugar for two years before moving on to set up the Bright Ideas Trust, a social enterprise aimed at supporting young entrepreneurs from disadvantaged backgrounds.
He also worked with now-prime minister
Boris Johnson, appointed as his training ambassador in 2010 when he was London Mayor.
In 2012, he was awarded an MBE for his work in social enterprise and three years later In 2015, Tim co-founded digital marketing agency Marketing Runners Ltd, and is now also an events speaker.Saria Khan (Series 1, 2005)Despite just missing out winning, Saria is one of the show’s biggest success stories, launching a career as a broadcaster and commentator.
She has been a regular panellist on Loose
Women since 2015, and has appeared on reality shows including Celebrity Big Brother and Dancing On Ice, as well as presenting a number of documentaries for the BBC.
She also launched a baby products business and has written a book.Raef Bjayou (Series 4, 2008)Smooth-talking Raef charmed his fellow opponents, the public and even Lord Sugar who called him “a really nice chap”.
After the show, he enjoyed an extended period in the spotlight, appearing as a reporter on Richard & Judy and taking part in shows including Celebrity Coach Trip, Ready Steady Cook and Come Dine With Me.
In 2014, he launched his own PR, marketing and communications company, Zephyr:Media, and also owns company Moncrieff London, which links businesses with hotel concierges.Stella Vine (Series 6, 2010)Stella won series six but later launched an unsuccessful lawsuit against Lord Sugar, claiming she had been unfairly dismissed.
She had an unfortunate subsequent few years, going through a divorce and battling the threat of the repossession of her home.
It was last reported in 2017 that she was hosting CrowdBox, a TV channel that helps entrepreneurs raise money through crowdfunding.Katie Hopkins (Series 3, 2007)The less said about this one, the better.READ MORE: Lottie Lion Claims It Was Easy For The Apprentice To Villainise Her As 'Conservative White Woman' The Apprentice Fans Hail Contestant As A 'Hero' Over Boardroom Sacrifice Apprentice Candidate Reckons He's Solved The Mystery Of The Man On The Floor Of The Boardroom