Who is Michelle Dewberry? The Apprentice winner and businesswoman who ran in the 2017 General Election
The show's second champ has carved out a TV career, spoken out on her mental health battles and even dabbled in politics
MICHELLE Dewberry shot to national fame as the winner of the second series of The Apprentice.
Over a decade on, the multi-talented businesswoman has carved out a TV career, spoken out about her mental health battles and even dabbled in politics – here is the lowdown on her.
It's now over a decade since Michelle Dewberry shot to fame
Who is Michelle Dewberry and when was she on The Apprentice?
Michelle Dewberry was born on October 9, 1979 and grew up on a council estate in the East Yorkshire city of Hull.
Despite leaving school with two GCSEs, she was earning a six-figure salary in the tech industry by the age of 22.
She then came to national attention when she signed up for the second series of The Apprentice in 2006.
The 37-year-old said she entered the process for the experience – but she went all the way, beating 14,000 applicants to win a £100,000-a-year job for Lord Sugar.
During her time on the show, Michelle was dubbed the "Silent Assassin" and "Steel Pixie" by the press as a result of her steely demeanour.
What has Michelle been up to since winning The Apprentice?
While filming The Apprentice, Michelle entered a relationship with fellow contestant Syed Ahmed.
However, Michelle suffered a miscarriage just three months after the show aired, and the couple split weeks later.
Following the heartbreaking episode, and amid much media speculation about her private life, The Apprentice winner left her post working for Lord Sugar at Xenon Green.
"I am so grateful for the experience I have gathered from Sir Alan and others within his organisation," Michelle said.
"I am excited to take these learnings and help other companies by way of my new company, MDL."
Since her departure, Michelle has launched a number of online deal sites, and released an autobiography, Anything is Possible, in 2007.
She has also carved out a career as a current affairs TV presenter, and is one of the hosts of The Pledge on Sky News.
Michelle also appears on news review shows Question Time and This Week, and is a contributor on Sky Sunrise.
In 2017, she stood as an independent candidate in the General Election for her home constituency, Hull West and Hessle.
Labour held the seat, with Michelle coming third with almost 2,000 votes, 5.5 per cent of the overall share.
Beyond her TV and business work, she has spoken out about sensitive issues such as mental health, depression and suicide.
She spoke bravely to The Sun about how her mum saved her from the brink of killing herself after "years and years of unhappiness".
After splitting from her broker boyfriend Anthony in 2016, it was revealed earlier this year that Michelle was looking for love on the dating app Tinder.
