The Apprentice’s first axed contestant breaks silence on show exit and admits they ‘cracked under boardroom pressure’
THE Apprentice's first axed contestant has opened up on her early exit from the boardroom and has confessed she is "devastated" she fell at the first hurdle.
Emma Rothwell became the first face to be booted from the BBC contest by Lord Alan Sugar after she failed to impress either in the first task or when grilled by the business mogul in the boardroom.
In the opening episode of the brand new series, the candidates were sent to Austria in order to put on luxury tours for holidaygoers - but it came with some rather disastrous results.
With the teams comprising mixed sexes for the first time ever in an opening task, it was clear from the off that one team was seriously struggling.
And for Emma she was unable to make any sales during the task, something that did not sit well with Lord Sugar and his advisers.
When it came to the boardroom, Emma unsuccessfully argued her case of why she could remain which left Lord Sugar feeling flat about just how well she could progress in the contest.
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It saw her face the first "you're fired" of the series.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun after her exit, Emma admitted she cracked under the boardroom pressure and "messed up" as she wished she could go back to give a more impassioned final speech.
The axed candidate said: "So I should have fought more in that final board room when we were doing final speeches.
"I didn't realise it was final speech time.
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"It was just a last moment of distance because I went first and then he went to the other candidates and they gave this big speech.
"My brain was like, oh, you messed up."
Acknowledging where she slipped up, Emma continued: "My negotiation with Jana [fellow contestant] was phenomenal.
"That alone should have been enough to keep me in, but I didn't bring it up.
"Like it just didn't come out my mouth, which is so silly.
"I prepared for most tasks because I knew like my strengths, what I roughly want to be PM on and all this, but I didn't account enough for the fighting in the boardroom."
Emma, who runs her own business Quirky Giraffe selling personalised mugs, felt unnerved by the pressures of the boardroom and the daunting presence of the camera's, confessing: "You've got all these big personalities, like cameras everywhere.
"It's just so much to take on at once, especially when I've done nothing like this in my entire life. Like this is completely all new to me."
Despite being the first to be given the boot, Emma admitted she will still continue on with her business and revealed the show will still be a huge benefit to her despite losing out on the £250,000 cash injection.
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Emma will be following her proposed business plan to continue to grow Quirky Giraffe to the level's she's have expected had she won the contest.
She acknowledged it would take some extra time with much less money but insisted she was determined to make it an even bigger success with or without Lord Sugar.
The Apprentice winners who have quit
By Conor O'Brien
Since The Apprentice launched in 2005, Lord Alan Sugar has crowned several winners.
In 2011, the prize changed from a job working under Lord Sugar to a £250,000 investment partnership.
While some past winners work with Lord Sugar to this day, other collaborations have long ended.
Here is a look at some of the winners who have quit working with the business giant.
- Tim Campbell: After winning the first series, Tim (who was 26 at the time) secured a position at Lord Sugar's company Amstrad on a £100,000 salary. After two years, Tim left to start a perfume business - although this was later abandoned. Since 2022, he has been back on The Apprentice as one of Lord Sugar's aides.
- Lee McQueen: Having won series four in 2008, 30-year-old Lee McQueen was assigned a position at Amscreen. He left the role after two years in July 2010.
- Yasmina Siadatan: Yasmina, who won The Apprentice in 2009, fell pregnant four months into her £100k-a-year role. She worked for Lord Sugar for 12 months but chose not to return after her maternity leave.
- Stella English: 2010 winner Stella English went on to work for Lord Sugar's Viglen after time on the BBC show. However, she walked out after 13 months of employment when told her contract would not be renewed and claimed she was just an "overpaid lackey".
- Mark Wright: Australian-born Mark won in 2014 and used the £250,000 investment to found digital marketing agency Climb Online. He parted ways with Lord Sugar in 2022, selling the business for an estimated £10million.
- Joseph Valente: Former plumber Joseph won the BBC show in 2015. However, he and Lord Sugar ultimately ended their working relationship after 18 months.
- Alana Spencer: Alana partnered up with Lord Sugar after winning in 2016. She claimed the top spot with her cake business Ridiculously Rich. The pair worked together for three years - until Alana ultimately bought out Lord Sugar.
- James White: In a one-time situation, James was one of two Apprentice winners in 2017. Three years after he won the show, Lord Sugar left the IT recruitment company, but reportedly let him keep the £250,000 investment.
- Sarah Lynn: Sweets delivery businesswoman Sarah was the other joint winner in 2017. She and Lord Sugar parted ways in September 2022.
- Carina Lepore: After winning The Apprentice in 2019, Lord Sugar put a £250,000 investment in Carina Lepore's Dough Artisan Bakehouse business. However, the pair ended their partnership in 2023.