Entertainment
The Apprentice sees all female final five for second year in a row as remaining contestants gear up for brutal interview stage-Meghna Amin-Entertainment – Metro
Who will be Lord Sugar’s next business partner?
The final five! (Picture: BBC)
The Apprentice contestants have been narrowed down to the final five, and for the second year in a row, it’s an all female line-up.
Dani Donovan, Marnie Swindells, Megan Hornby, Rochelle Anthony and Victoria Goulbourne are reaching the final hurdle to become Lord Alan Sugar’s next business partner, after Simba Rwambiwa became the latest entrepreneur to be fired.
And now they’re ready to face the infamous interview stage, before two go head to head to set their business plans into motion and win The Apprentice 2023.
Talking about making it to the final, hair salon owner Dani said: ‘It feels quite surreal, I never expected to get this far when entering the process. It was a massive shock, but from the number of times I’ve been on the winning team in tasks, I know I absolutely deserve to be in the final five.’
The 25-year-old continued: ‘I’ve thrown myself into every task and have given everything one-hundred and ten percent, and that I’m proud of.’
Marnie, 28, said: ‘I think the women this year had a bad start, but from task one onwards we really took charge then there was no stopping us.
Dani has been on the winning team quite a few times! (Picture: BBC)
Could Megan be Lord Sugar’s next business partner? (Picture: BBC)
‘All of the women were just a force to be reckoned with and we’ve all wanted to demonstrate what we’re capable of by putting ourselves out there and demonstrating our skills, we were all on a mission to get to the final.’
Speaking about her place in the final, she added: ‘I find it hard to believe that I made it this far, I’m not entirely sure how it happened. I didn’t have any strategy going into the process, other than giving it my all.
‘I think I earned my spot in the final five because I gave every task one hundred percent, but that’s not to say that I’m not shocked that I got here! I’m just really proud of myself, it’s a highlight moment making it to the final five, as I get to showcase my business.’
Marnie finds it ‘hard to believe’ that she’s made it this far (Picture: BBC)
Rochelle gushed about ‘girl power’ (Picture: BBC)
Yorkshire sweet shop and cafe owner Megan continued: ‘If you look at the final five, every single one of us threw ourselves into every single task.
‘We all put one-hundred and ten percent into every single task that we took part in, even if it was outside of our comfort zones. We tried to offer as much as we could every week and that’s the difference you can see, we gave it everything we could.’
‘I never thought I would get this far, I was happy to just get through week one, let alone get through to the final five. It’s the dream and what we all set out for, so to actually achieve it is a real honour and I’m very proud of myself,’ she said.
Will Victoria take home the £250,000 investment? (Picture: BBC)
Who will make it to the end? (Picture: BBC/Fremantle Media/Ray Burmiston)
Gushing over ‘girl power’, Rochelle, 35, added: ‘I’m completely over the moon! Ecstatic and really proud to have got this far in the competition.’
Completing the line-up, sweetshop owner Victoria, 28, said: ‘It feels surreal, I wasn’t sure if I’d even be lucky enough to get a spot in the process, never mind make it through every single task and every single week.
‘When in actual fact, every single week I thought “Oh my God, I could get fired at any point,” so to actually make it to the final five is amazing.’
Harpreet became Lord Sugar’s latest business partner (Picture: PA)
Last series, which saw Harpreet Kaur become Lord Sugar’s business partner, had an all-female semi-final for the first time with Brittany Carter, Kathryn Louise Burn and Stephanie Affleck joining Harpreet.
Talking to Metro.co.uk after his firing, Simba admitted he would have been ‘ripped apart’ in the intense interview process.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
Lord Sugar announced his decision at the time by saying: ‘Simba, if you don’t say anything worth listening to, then are you somebody who could qualify to be my business partner?… They say every dog has its day and sadly, Simba, it’s not your day. It is with regret, you’re fired!’
Recollecting the moment, Simba said: ‘At the time I was absolutely gutted, because you’re so close to being in the final five and you don’t make it. But when I reflect on the whole process of my journey as well, I’m so happy to have got as far as I did. I was the last man standing as well, so that’s another massive win.’
More: Trending
He continued: ‘It’s bittersweet. Had I got through to the final five, I would have been ripped apart and my business would have been ripped apart. So do I want that? I don’t know.
‘But also, I’ve now been fired. My business plan hasn’t been ripped apart. I still remain zen in some way.’
The Apprentice airs Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
Entertainment – MetroRead More
