Click here to view
a picture gallery of the contestants
A retail buyer known as ‘The Rottweiler’ and a woman with the body of a Bond
girl are amongst the group of candidates set to face Sir Alan Sugar in the
new series of The Apprentice.
The 16 colourful contestants were revealed today ahead of the fourth series'
launch on March 26.
Among the female contingent, competing in the BBC One show, is Lucinda
Ledgerwood, who was once offered a role as a Bond girl body double, but
turned it down. The 31-year-old said she regretted the decision but is now
determined to win The Apprentice.
Equally ambitious is Claire Young, 29, a retail buyer who is known as 'The
Rottweiller' because of her habit for grabbing what she wants and refusing
to let go.
They will be joined by a single mother, a champion show-jumper, a
self-confessed tomboy, a descendant of African royalty, the daughter of a
millionaire, and a woman who shares a Guinness World Record with her
siblings for their impressive array of degrees.
The men are equally ambitious and, following in the show’s tradition, fond of
self-promotion. Nicholas De Lacy Brown, 24, is a barrister, artist and
property developer who believes that "from the moment I was born I knew
I was destined for great things."
Not to be outdone, telesales executive Michael Sophocles, 24, believes: "I
am an exceptional individual. I am an exhibitionist, I am fearless, I want
money and I an unscrupulous."
They will be competing against a former member of the Royal Artillery, a
boxing ball-dancer, a software sales manager, a bank manager and a former
debating champion who claims never to have lost an argument.
The winning candidate will be given a six-figure-salary job within Sir Alan’s
business empire, but must first face the famously gruff tycoon in a series
of boardroom showdowns.
Known for yelling, “You’re fired!” at contestants who fail to impress, Sir
Alan has been accused of being insensitive and out-of-step with modern
management practices. But, today, the Amstrad founder, thought to be worth
£780 million, said the BBC had exagerated his fearsome side.
“Like it or not, and I don't like it that much, there's a perception of me
just banging the table and shouting," he told the Radio Times.
“The BBC has categorised me as Mr Nasty, so all the humour ends up on the
cutting room floor".
Last year Sir Alan chose public school-educated Simon Ambrose as the winner
over single mother and series favourite, Kristina Grimes.
THE CONTESTANTS
Claire Young, 29
A senior retail buyer with a BSC in Equine Science, who lives in south London.
Young was born in Johannesburg and brought up in Wakefield. Her first job was
working at the local Beefeater restaurant.
Her nickname at work is 'The Rottweiler' because when she sees something she
wants she grabs hold of an ankle until she gets it.
Young's role model is Oprah Winfrey and her passions include horse riding, the
cinema and cooking.
She claims to be the only convent-educated girl who has survived three summers
in Magaluf for Club 18-30. Her motto is JDI - which means "just do it".
She says: "I am successful, I always have been. I've been doing jobs for
eight years for people who are significantly older than me.
"I apply myself 150%."
Helene Speight, 32
A global pricing leader with nine GCSEs who lives in Wakefield, West
Yorkshire.
A self-confessed tomboy who claims to be ruthless, but with integrity.
Speight who is nearly six-feet tall was nearly kicked out of school with no
qualifications at 16.
One of her biggest passions is playing football.
She says: "I expect nothing on a plate and I am prepared to come out of
my comfort zone to get ahead."
Jenny Celerier, 36
A sales manager with a BA in marketing, from Leicester.
The single mum believes "if you are sitting on the fence you are taking
up too much space".
The sales manager had her son at the age of 18 and while raising him educated
herself to degree level and worked her way up the career ladder.
She now oversees a team of 16 and was a budding entrepreneur at an early age,
digging up all the flowers from her parents' front garden and selling them.
She says: "I've achieved. I have won awards for my selling."
Jennifer Maguire, 27
A marketing consultant with a Leaving Certificate (equivalent of A Levels),
who lives in Bristol
Originally from Dublin, Maguire was a champion show jumper at 14. She
describes herself as an "iron fist in a velvet glove" and adds: "I
am a success totally."
Maguire says that when she first ran an office she made £60,000 in six months
with no training. She now specialises in advertising for the fashion and
leisure industry and was promoted within two weeks of starting her job.
She says: "I can sell pieces of paper for £50. I rate myself as the best
salesperson in Europe."
Lindi Mngaza, 22
A business liaison manager with an NVQ in customer services, who lives in
Birmingham.
Mngaza's business motto is "that there is no I in team but there is an I
in winner."
She says she was in the top 10 per cent of earners in the UK by the age of 22
and that she has royal blood.
The Manchester-born 22-year-old, whose role model is Richard Branson, said: "My
nickname amongst friends is African Princess as I am from royal descendants."
She says: "There is nobody like me (at) my age that has achieved what I
have."
Lucinda Ledgerwood, 31
A risk manager with a BSC in psychology and neuroscience who lives in
Edinburgh.
Born in Singapore and from a privileged background, Ledgerwood is studying for
an aromatherapy and herbal medicine BSC (Hons) at Napier University in her
spare time. She also has a diploma in traditional Chinese medicine but her
first job was on the checkout at Tesco.
Despite claiming never to have seen an episode of The Apprentice, she boasts
that she will be victorious, saying: "I always win so it's a natural
conclusion, I will win."
Her greatest regret is once turning down the role of a body double for a Bond
girl. She says: "I am very diverse, well rounded and I always win."
Sara Dhada, 25
An international car trader with a BA in law and economics and an LLM in
international commercial law, who lives in Leicester.
Dhada made money at the age of 14 buying and selling bikes from car boot
sales.
She describes herself as a "true example of pure class and elegance,"
and says she saved her family car sales company by taking over from her
brothers.
Her father, a self-made millionaire at 25, is her role model.
She is angered by people who don't listen to her because she is always right
and who don't wash their hands when using the toilet.
She once drove from Leicester to India in two weeks.
She says: "I was born into a business family, it's in my blood. I think I
will win."
Shazia Wahab, 35
A mosaic artist and company director with a BA in business studies and a
diploma in marketing who lives in south London.
Wahab describes herself as "a stubborn cow who always has to have the
last word."
Her application for The Apprentice was rejected in the third series. Her
family, including her 11 brothers and sisters, hold a Guinness World Record
for the most amount of university degrees between them in the UK.
She represented herself when she took on her City firm demanding £1 million in
damages over a sex and race discrimination claim. She won the case.
She says: "I'm just a mosaic artist trying to prove that I'm just as good
as anyone else. Only little do they know I am better. You should never judge
a book by its cover as you never know what story is lurking underneath."
Alex Wotherspoon, 24
A regional sales manager with a BA in Managerial Administrative Studies who
lives in Bolton.
The sales manager looks after a team of 30 sales agents and boxes and ballroom
dances in his free time. His first job was selling horse manure.
He says: "I give 100 per cent all the way. I always speak my mind."
Ian Stringer, 26
A software sales manager with eight GCSEs from Flitwick, Bedfordshire.
Stringer says he gives "110 per cent" to everything he does.
He has a two-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son and is an avid football
fan.
In his spare time he has worked at BBC local radio and once had a No. 8 hit in
the charts when he rewrote the lyrics to Tony Christie's Amarillo.
He says: "There are two types of people in the world: winners and... I
don't know how to say the word, I can't say it."
Kevin Shaw, 24
A bank manager with two A-levels who lives in Woking.
Shaw became a bank manager at 19 and claims to be a cunning, natural-born
leader.
He joined the show because since he was five years old he has had a dream that
he would earn £100,000 a year by the age of 25.
Shaw, who is friends with Jenson Button, said: "I am driven, ambitious
and hungry... I don't mess about. If I want something I will get it."
Lee McQueen, 30
A recruitment sales manager with a B-Tec diploma in IT from Princes
Risborough, Buckinghamshire.
The son of a milkman, McQueen bought his first house at the age of 18 and then
went on to buy another one for his mother.
He describes himself as a cat, sometimes purring with perfection and at other
times just biting.
He says: "There is no airy fairy stuff with me, I tell it how I see it."
Michael Sophocles, 24
A telesales executive with an MA in History and Classics, from north London
He describes himself as "a good Jewish boy" with a ruthless streak.
His passions in life are women, food, drink and gambling.
He claims to earn an astronomical amount of money.
He says: "I am an exceptional individual. I am an exhibitionist, I am
fearless, I want money and I an unscrupulous."
Nicholas De Lacy Brown, 24
A barrister, artist and property developer with a law degree, and an MA in
Medical Law and Ethics who lives in west London.
The barrister adopted his grandmother's name De Lacy five years ago as he felt
it was more sophisticated. "My name is very distinctive... it gets me
noticed in business and life. "
He claims one of the worst moments of his life was when he got a B grade in a
GCSE. Since then, he has been outstanding in everything.
He says: "From the moment I was born I knew I was destined for great
things." He adds that he is "allergic to chavs".
Raef Bjayou, 27
An entrepreneur with a degree in politics and history who lives in north west
London.
A former school captain, he founded the Exeter University Debating Society and
claims to "have never lost an argument yet".
He once asked Michael Heseltine a question on Question Time and was "surprised
by the ignorance of his answer".
He claims to have "stared death in the face many times".
He says: "The spoken word is my tool. (I'm a) terrific conversationalist
and raconteur with incredible charisma. (I'm) priceless, absolutely
priceless.
Simon Smith, 35
Senior satellite television engineer with eight GCSEs from Harlow, Essex.
Smith served in the Royal Artillery as an NCO and specialises as a surveyor.
In the Middle East he trialled the Army's first Satellite Communications
system.
He was given exemplary discharge from service in 1998. He is now a senior
satellite engineer at Sky TV.
He says: "I get things done. I have enthusiasm for everything I do. I am
loud, bombastic, I don't play games. Everyone wants me on their team."
