Former Apprentice winner blasts show as she sends warning to contestants hours before new series launch

THE Apprentice winner Marnie Swindells has hit out at the show's "aftercare" just hours ahead of the new series launch.

The boxing gym owner, 29, who won the BBC1 series in 2023, said the process was a "serious rollercoaster" and expected more safeguards to be in place to support candidates.

Marnie issued a warning, saying: "More could be done around the aftercare and making sure people's heads are okay throughout the process."

The former court advocate, who spoke with Office Freedom, went on to say: "I expected a little bit more support at times and it felt like a checkbox exercise.

"I think they do genuinely care, but whether they have enough resources and protocols in place to protect from people having a bad emotional experience with it, I’m not sure.'

"You go from being an absolute nobody, then overnight the whole of the UK has an opinion on what you're doing and is watching you intensely - not just on Thursday nights, but throughout the week they want to know what you're doing and who you are.

"It’s a serious roller coaster and journey."

The entrepreneur also insisted the new batch of contestants need to have a "thick skin" and be emotionally prepared for the show.

Despite undergoing interviews, tests and psychologists during the process, Marnie said she "didn't feel they were always listened to".

The Apprentice returns tonight with a new batch of hopefuls.

This year’s line-up is more eclectic than ever, featuring a Ninja Warrior competitor, a hair transplant entrepreneur, and a convenience store boss who’s already turning heads with their confidence and charm.

As they battle it out for a coveted £250,000 investment in often hair-bained business ventures, fans can expect the usual mix of boardroom drama, jaw-dropping blunders, and high-pressure challenges.

Lord Sugar will once again be joined by trusted aides Karren Brady and Tim Campbell, as they sift through the wannabe moguls’ strengths and weaknesses.

Keeping up with the times means Amstrad owner Lord Sugar has no worries about whether he will be asked by the BBC to return for a 20th series next year — which is yet to be confirmed — or even beyond.

Nor has he considered heading into retirement as he approaches his eighties. “I enjoy doing this, finding young people and putting them in businesses and starting from scratch with them every year,” he explained.

“It’s not been commissioned for more yet, but there’s a good chance.

“I might go on and on until the funeral director has to stop it, you never know. I’m certainly not going to go and smell the roses and start gardening and all that stuff.”

The star is hoping that a big BBC 20th anniversary celebration will include a celebrity Apprentice, which he teased viewers could expect to see confirmed before the current series ends.

“There has been talk of it,” he said. “They’re quite fun, we all do it for charity — and I’m quite open about who takes part, as long as the production people don’t choose Boris Johnson.”

Lord Sugar remains unfazed when it comes to the healthy competition of other business shows on the BBC and big streaming networks such as Netflix and Amazon.

The tycoon says he enjoys watching Dragons’ Den, which also airs on BBC One, though that does not mean he views all the dragons as equal competition.

He said: “I watch it all the time — and Shark Tank, which runs in America — and I do like it.

“Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden, they’re the old legends of the show and have done very well.

“But Steven Bartlett, he’s a mystery to me. I don’t know who he is really. He’s a very good talker and comes across a bit suave and debonair, but I’m not sure what his business is.”